Most Common GRE Words, Part 2

Question 1

aesthete

Answer 1

noun: one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature

A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.

Question 2

aesthetic

Question 3

apathetic

Answer 3

adjective: marked by a lack of interest

Mr. Thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally apathetic students took interest.

Question 4

audacious

Answer 4

adjective: willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks

As all of the other campers cowered in their tents, Bill, armed only with a flashlight, audaciously tracked down the bear that had raided their food.

Question 5

banal

Answer 5

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from boredom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.

Question 6

bucolic

Answer 6

adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country

The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.

Question 7

chortle

Answer 7

verb: to chuckle, laugh merrily, often in a breathy, muffled way

Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.

Question 8

concede

Answer 8

verb: acknowledge defeat

I concede. You win!

verb: admit (to a wrongdoing)

After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window.

verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.

Question 9

conspicuous

Answer 9

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

Among the tall trees and flower fields, the building seemed out of place with its conspicuous, cold concrete and angular steel exterior.

Question 10

cryptic

Answer 10

adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally

Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered cryptically when he would ask her questions about it.

Question 11

culminate

Answer 11

verb: reach the highest or most decisive point

Beethoven’s musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.

Question 12

decorous

Answer 12

adjective: characterized by good taste in manners and conduct

Sally’s parties are decorous affairs, and instead of the usual beer and music, there is tea and intellectual conversation.

Question 12

culpability

Answer 12

noun: a state of guilt

Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted culpability for Martha’s broken leg.

Question 13

deferential

Answer 13

adjective: showing respect

If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.

Question 14

dictatorial

Answer 14

adjective: expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler

The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.

Question 15

didactic

Answer 15

adjective: instructive (especially excessively)

Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.

Question 15

diffident

Answer 15

adjective: showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence

As a young girl she was diffident and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive.

Question 16

dogmatic

Answer 16

adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that one’s own beliefs may not be correct

Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.

Question 17

eschew

Answer 17

verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.

Question 17

engender

Answer 17

verb: give rise to

The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they engendered deep hatred and resentment in the German people.

Question 18

entrenched

Answer 18

adjective: fixed firmly or securely

By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.

Question 19

exacerbate

Answer 19

verb: make worse

Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold–when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.

Question 20

fortuitous

Answer 20

adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause

Missing my train turned out to be quite fortuitous since I ran into a childhood friend on the next train and we were able to reconnect after so many years.

Question 21

frivolous

Answer 21

adjective: not serious in content or attitude or behavior

Compared to Juliet’s passionate concern for human rights, Jake’s non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.

Question 22

gainsay

Answer 22

verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose

I can’t gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don’t trust his conclusion.

Question 23

gall

Answer 23

noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent

The speeding car had the gall to switch five lanes at once, run through a red light, and then cut off a police car before finally coming to a stop in front of a sea of flashing red lights.

noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.

verb: to strongly bother, vex, annoy, exasperate

I try to look for the best in Gwendolyn, but her bad attitude really galls me.

Question 24

germane

Answer 24

adjective: relevant and appropriate

The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn’t germane to the charges in the cases.

Question 25

glut

Answer 25

noun: an excessive supply
The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.

verb: supply with an excess of

In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes glutted with resumes.

Question 26

gossamer

Answer 26

adjective: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy

The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.

Question 27

impudent

Answer 27

adjective: improperly forward or bold

In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.

Question 28

inexorable

Answer 28

adjective: impossible to stop or prevent

The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.

Question 29

incisive

Answer 29

adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

Question 30

lambast

Answer 30

verb: criticize severely or angrily

Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.

Question 31

mawkish

Answer 31

adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting

The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illness by the end of the movie.

Question 32

meticulous

Answer 32

adjective: marked by extreme care in treatment of details

The Japanese noodle maker was meticulous in making his noodles and would never let another person take over the task.

Question 33

mitigate

Answer 33

verb: make less severe or harsh

I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own.

verb: lessen the severity of an offense

If it weren’t for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.

Question 34

obscure

Answer 34

verb: make unclear

On the Smith’s drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith’s big head obscured much of Mrs. Robinson’s view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock.

adjective: known by only a few

Many of the biggest movie stars were once obscure actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study.

Question 35

platitude

Answer 35

noun: a trite or obvious remark

The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.

Question 36

perfidy

Answer 36

noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust

Sure, he was the best salesman in the company; but Michael had abused the trust of the firm, sharing product secrets with a competitor, and for such perfidy he was terminated.

Question 37

preclude

Answer 37

verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible

The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.

Question 38

predilection

Answer 38

noun: a strong liking

Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

Question 39

prescience

Answer 39

noun: the power to foresee the future

Baxter’s warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

Question 40

querulous

Answer 40

adjective: habitually complaining

The querulous old woman was beginning to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.

Question 41

recondite

Answer 41

adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.

Question 42

reticent

Answer 42

adjective: disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts

When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent

Question 43

rustic

Answer 43

adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial

The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its rustic charm.

Question 44

superfluous

Answer 44

adjective: serving no useful purpose

How can we hope to stay open if we don’t eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupuncture Tuesday?

adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required
The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.

Question 45

torpor

Answer 45

noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy

After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

Question 46

vociferous

Answer 46

adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around and look at them angrily.

Question 47

volubility

Answer 47

noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously

The professor’s volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick’s Day to the next.