Best GRE Words List | GRE Verbal of Ubiquitous 400 Words

The GRE tests covers a surprisingly limited number of GRE words list. In the following lists, you will find words that occur frequently on the GRE words list. Granted, memorizing a list of words is rather dry, but it is probably the most effective way to improve your performance on the GRE verbal section.

As you read through the lists, mark any words that you do not know with a check mark. Then, when you read through the list again, mark any that you do not remember with two checks. Continue in this manner until you have learned the words.

The first list, The Ubiquitous 400, contains words that have appeared frequently on the GRE. Over the years, our second list, Vocabulary 4000, has been an invaluable tool for students who have both the time and the determination to wade through it. It’s chock-full of words that are prime candidates for the GRE.

GRE Words list

  1. abash - humiliate, embarrass
  2. abdicate - relinquish power or position
  3. aberrant - abnormal
  4. abet - aid, encourage (typically of crime)
  5. abeyance - postponement
  6. aboriginal - indigenous
  7. abridge - shorten
  8. abstemious - moderate
  9. acclimate - accustom oneself to a climate
  10. accost - to approach and speak to someone
  11. acquiesce - agree passively
  12. acumen - insight
  13. adamant - insistent
  14. admonish - warn gently
  15. adulterate - contaminate, corrupt
  16. adversity - hardship
  17. aegis - that which protects
  18. aesthetic - pleasing to the senses, beautiful
  19. affable - friendly
  20. affinity - fondness
  21. aggregate - total, collect
  22. aghast - horrified
  23. alacrity - swiftness
  24. alienate - estrange, antagonize
  25. alleviate - lessen, assuage
  26. altruism - benevolence, generosity
  27. amalgamation - mixture
  28. ambiguous - unclear
  29. ambivalence - conflicting emotions
  30. amenable - agreeable
  31. amorphous - shapeless
  32. anachronistic - out of historical order
  33. analogous - similar
  34. anarchy - absence of government
  35. anathema - curse
  36. animus - hate
  37. anomalous - abnormal
  38. antipathy - repulsion, hatred
  39. antipodal - exactly opposite
  40. antiquated - outdated, obsolete
  41. apathy - indifference
  42. appease - pacify
  43. approbation - approval
  44. artless - naive, simple
  45. ascetic - self-denying
  46. assiduous - hard-working
  47. assimilate - absorb
  48. audacity - boldness
  49. auspicious - favorable
  50. austere - harsh, Spartan
  51. autonomous - self-governing
  52. avarice - greed
  53. axiom - self-evident truth
  54. banal - trite
  55. belie - misrepresent
  56. belittle - disparage
  57. bellicose - warlike
  58. benefactor - patron
  59. boisterous - noisy
  60. boor - vulgar person
  61. bourgeois - middle class
  62. bucolic - rustic
  63. buttress - support
  64. cachet - prestige
  65. cacophony - dissonance, harsh noise
  66. callow - inexperienced
  67. canon - rule
  68. capacious - spacious
  69. capitulate - surrender
  70. castigate - criticize
  71. cathartic - purgative, purifying
  72. catholic universal, worldly
  73. caustic - scathing (of speech)
  74. censure - condemn
  75. chagrin - embarrassment
  76. charlatan - quack
  77. chary - cautious
  78. coagulate - thicken
  79. coda - concluding passage
  80. cogent - well-put, convincing
  81. collusion - conspiracy
  82. commensurate - proportionate
  83. commiserate - empathize
  84. compensatory - redeeming
  85. compliant - submissive
  86. conciliatory - reconciling
  87. condone - overlook wrong doing
  88. conducive - helping
  89. connoisseur - an expert, gourmet
  90. consensus - general agreement
  91. contentious - argumentative
  92. conundrum - puzzle, enigma
  93. convoluted - twisted, complicated
  94. covenant - agreement, pact
  95. covert - secret
  96. credence - belief
  97. credulous - believing
  98. cynical - scornful of the motives of others
  99. dauntless - courageous
  100. dearth - scarcity
  101. defamation - (noun) - slander
  102. deference - courteously yielding to another
  103. deleterious - harmful
  104. delineate - draw a line around, describe
  105. demur - take exception
  106. denigrate - defame
  107. deprecate - belittle
  108. desiccate - dehydrate
  109. despot - tyrant
  110. destitute - poor
  111. desultory - without direction in life
  112. deterrent - hindrance
  113. devoid - empty
  114. devout - pious
  115. diatribe - long denunciation
  116. dichotomy - a division into two parts
  117. didactic - instructional
  118. diffident - shy
  119. digress - ramble
  120. disabuse - correct a misconception
  121. discerning - observant
  122. discord - lack of harmony
  123. discrete - separate
  124. discretion - prudence
  125. disingenuous - deceptive
  126. disparate - various
  127. disseminate - distribute
  128. dissent - disagree
  129. dissolution - disintegration
  130. dissonance - discord
  131. distend - swell
  132. divest - strip, deprive
  133. divulge - disclose
  134. dogmatic - certain, unchanging in opinion
  135. dormant - asleep
  136. eclectic - from many sources
  137. efficacy - effectiveness
  138. effigy - likeness, mannequin
  139. effloresce - to bloom
  140. effrontery - insolence
  141. elicit - provoke
  142. eloquent - well-spoken
  143. emancipate - liberate
  144. embellish - exaggerate
  145. endemic - peculiar to a particular region
  146. enervate - weaken
  147. engender - generate
  148. ennui - boredom
  149. enumerate - count
  150. esoteric - known by only a few
  151. esthetic - artistic
  152. euphemism - genteel expression
  153. euphoria - elation
  154. evanescent - fleeting, very brief
  155. exacerbate - worsen
  156. exasperate - irritate
  157. exhibitionist - one who draws attention to himself
  158. exonerate - free from blame
  159. expedite - hasten
  160. extemporize - improvise
  161. extol - praise highly
  162. facetious - joking, sarcastic
  163. facilitate - make easier
  164. fallacy - false belief
  165. fathom - understand
  166. fervor - intensity
  167. fickle - always changing one’s mind
  168. filibuster - long speech
  169. fledgling - just beginning, struggling
  170. flout - to show disregard for the law or rules
  171. foment - instigate
  172. forsake - abandon
  173. fortuitous - lucky
  174. foster - encourage
  175. frugal - thrifty
  176. fulminate - denounce, menace
  177. furtive - stealthy
  178. gainsay - contradict
  179. germane - relevant
  180. glib - insincere manner
  181. gratuitous - unwarranted, uncalled for
  182. gregarious - sociable
  183. halcyon - serene
  184. hamper - obstruct
  185. harangue - tirade
  186. harry - harass
  187. hedonism - excessive pursuit of pleasure in life
  188. hegemony - authority, domination
  189. histrionic - overly dramatic
  190. homogeneous - uniform
  191. hyperbole - exaggeration
  192. hypocritical - deceiving, two-faced
  193. iconoclast one who rails against sacred institutions
  194. idiosyncrasy - peculiarity
  195. imminent - about to happen
  196. impecunious - indigent
  197. imperative - vital, pressing
  198. imperturbable - calm
  199. impervious - impenetrable
  200. impetuous - impulsive
  201. implicit - implied
  202. impolitic - unwise
  203. impulsive - to act suddenly
  204. impunity - exemption from harm
  205. inadvertent - unintentional
  206. incendiary - inflammatory
  207. incipient - beginning
  208. incontrovertible - indisputable
  209. incorrigible - unreformable
  210. indifferent - unconcerned
  211. indigent - poor
  212. indolent - lazy
  213. indomitable - invincible
  214. ineffable - inexpressible
  215. inert - inactive
  216. inherent - innate, inborn
  217. inhibit - restrain
  218. inimical - adverse, hostile
  219. insatiable - gluttonous
  220. insidious - treacherous
  221. insipid - flat, dull
  222. insufferable - unbearable
  223. insular - narrow-minded
  224. intangible - not perceptible by touch
  225. internecine - mutually destructive
  226. intractable - unmanageable
  227. intrepid - fearless
  228. inundate - flood
  229. inure - accustom, habituate, harden
  230. invective - verbal insult
  231. inveigle - lure
  232. irascible - irritable
  233. irresolute - hesitant, uncertain
  234. itinerary - route
  235. judicious - prudent
  236. laconic - brief, terse
  237. lassitude - lethargy
  238. laudatory - commendable
  239. levity - frivolity
  240. lucid - clearly understood
  241. lurid - ghastly
  242. Machiavellian - politically crafty, cunning
  243. magnanimous - generous, kindhearted
  244. magnate - a powerful, successful person
  245. malevolence - bad intent, malice
  246. malinger - shirk
  247. malleable - moldable, tractable
  248. misanthrope - hater of mankind
  249. miscreant - evildoer
  250. mitigate - lessen the severity
  251. mundane - ordinary
  252. nadir - lowest point
  253. narcissism - self-love
  254. nascent - incipient
  255. neologism - newly coined expression
  256. nonplus - confound
  257. noxious - toxic
  258. obfuscate - bewilder, muddle
  259. obtuse - stupid
  260. obviate - make unnecessary
  261. odious - despicable
  262. officious - forward, obtrusive
  263. omnipotent - all-powerful
  264. onerous - burdensome
  265. opprobrium - disgrace
  266. oscillate - waver
  267. paean - a song of praise
  268. paradigm - a model
  269. paragon - standard of excellence
  270. parody - imitation, ridicule
  271. parsimonious - stingy
  272. paucity - scarcity
  273. pedagogical - pertaining to teaching
  274. pedantic - bookish
  275. penchant - inclination
  276. penury - poverty
  277. pernicious - destructive
  278. perpetuity - eternity
  279. perspicacious - keen
  280. pervade - permeate
  281. philanthropic - charitable
  282. phlegmatic - sluggish
  283. piety - devoutness
  284. pious - devout, holy
  285. piquant - tart-tasting, spicy
  286. pithy - concise
  287. platitude - trite remark
  288. platonic - nonsexual
  289. plethora - overabundance
  290. polemic - a controversy
  291. posthumous - after death
  292. pragmatic - practical
  293. precarious - dangerous, risky
  294. precipitate - cause
  295. precursor - forerunner
  296. preponderance predominance
  297. presumptuous - assuming
  298. pretentious - affected, inflated
  299. pretext - excuse
  300. prevaricate - lie
  301. probity - integrity
  302. problematic - uncertain
  303. prodigal - wasteful
  304. prodigious - marvelous, enormous
  305. prodigy - a person with extraordinary ability or talent
  306. profligate - licentious, prodigal
  307. profound - deep, knowledgeable
  308. profusion - overabundance
  309. prolific - fruitful, productive
  310. propensity - inclination
  311. proportionate - commensurate
  312. propriety - decorum
  313. prosaic - uninspired, flat
  314. proscribe - prohibit
  315. protuberance - bulge
  316. pundit - politically astute person
  317. pungent - sharp smell or taste
  318. qualms - misgivings
  319. quash - put down, suppress
  320. querulous - complaining
  321. quixotic - impractical, romantic
  322. raconteur - story teller
  323. recalcitrant - stubborn
  324. recant - retract
  325. redoubtable - formidable, steadfast
  326. refractory - obstinate
  327. relegate - assign to an inferior position
  328. renege - break a promise
  329. renounce - disown
  330. reprehensible - blameworthy
  331. reproach - blame
  332. reprobate - miscreant
  333. repudiate - disavow
  334. requisite - necessary
  335. rescind - revoke
  336. resolute - determined
  337. reticent - reserved
  338. retribution - reprisal
  339. reverent - respectful
  340. rhapsody - ecstasy
  341. rhetoric - elocution, grandiloquence
  342. sanctimonious - self-righteous
  343. sanction - approval
  344. sanguinary - gory, murderous
  345. satiate - satisfy fully
  346. satire - ridicule
  347. schism - rift
  348. secular - worldly, nonreligious
  349. sedulous - diligent
  350. severance - division
  351. skeptical - doubtful
  352. solicitous - considerate, concerned
  353. solvent - financially sound
  354. sophistry - specious reasoning
  355. specious - false but plausible
  356. spurious - false, counterfeit
  357. squander - waste
  358. stolid - impassive
  359. stupefy - deaden, dumfound
  360. stymie - hinder, thwart
  361. sullen - sulky, sour
  362. supercilious - arrogant
  363. superfluous - overabundant
  364. surfeit - overabundance
  365. synthesis - combination
  366. tacit - understood without being spoken
  367. temerity - boldness
  368. tenuous - thin, insubstantial
  369. terse - concise
  370. torpid - lethargic, inactive
  371. tractable - docile, manageable
  372. transient - fleeting, temporary
  373. trenchant - incisive, penetrating
  374. truculent - fierce, savage
  375. ubiquitous - omnipresent, pervasive
  376. ulterior - hidden, covert
  377. untenable - cannot be achieved
  378. untoward - perverse
  379. urbane - refined, worldly
  380. vacillate - waver
  381. venerable - revered
  382. veracity - truthfulness
  383. verbose - wordy
  384. vernacular - common speech
  385. vex - annoy
  386. viable - capable of surviving
  387. vilify - defame
  388. virulent - deadly, poisonous
  389. vitriolic - scathing
  390. vituperative - abusive
  391. vivacious - lively
  392. volatile - unstable
  393. voluminous - bulky, extensive
  394. voracious - hungry
  395. xenophobia - fear of foreigners
  396. zealot - fanatic