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| GRE VOCABULARY WORDS FOR EXAMS |
These words are also help full for other exams and tests just like GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, MCAT, LSAT, ECAT, NAT, GAT and other related exams. On this page you will cover the Most important words with their part of speech, pronunciation, synonyms and antonym, if applicable. Sample usage of the word is also illustrated.
APOCALYPTIC (adj) [uh-pok-uh-LIP-tik]
Syn: prophetic; pertaining to revelations; ominous
Ant: insignificant; unimportant
Usage: Everything was going too badly; it felt like an apocalyptic moment.
APOCRYPHAL (adj) [uh-POK-ruh-fuh l]
Syn: untrue; made up
Ant: authentic, genuine, verified, atested, undisputed
Usage: The means by which Gary had secured the job was most likely
apocryphal.
APOGEE (n) [AP-uh-jee]
Syn: highest point; apex; acme; zenith
Ant: nadir
Usage: The vineyard’s sales had reached its apogee in the 90s before suffering from conflict with other local growers.
APOPLEXY (n) [AP-uh-plek-see]
Syn: stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis
Ant: consciousness
Usage: Bob’s sudden apoplexy was the calm, but deadly symptom indicating he was having a stroke.
APOSTATE (n) [uh-POS-teyt]
Syn: one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Ant: faithful; believer
Usage: After the priest’s death, a large number of people turned apostates, forsaking their religion for good.
APOTHECARY (n) [uh-POTH-uh-ker-ee]
Syn: druggist
Ant: NULL
Usage: Armed with the doctor’s prescription, I headed towards the nearest
apothecary.
APOTHEGM (n) [AP-uh-them]
Syn: pithy, compact saying; aphorism
Ant: absurdity; nonsense
Usage: Every saying of Uncle George is revered by us as if it were an apothegm
of golden wisdom.
APOTHEOSIS (n) [uh-poth-ee-OH-sis]
Syn: elevation to godhood; deification; an ideal example of something
Ant: exclusion; condemnation
Usage: Last year around this time, David Beckham was the object of
apotheosis, but this year he’s just another fallen idol.
APPALL (v) [uh-PAWL]
Syn: dismay; shock
Ant: calm; comfort; console; innervate
Usage: We were appalled to see the sad state Lynete’s mother had been reduced to.
APPEASE (v) [uh-PEEZ]
Syn: pacify or soothe; relieve
Ant: embiter; annoy; irritate; perturb; roil
Usage: Some primitive tribes believe that animals must be sacrificed in order to appease the gods.
APPEND (v) [uh-PEND]
Syn: atach; supplement
Ant: subtract; take away
Usage: It was unanimously decided by the board of directors to append the new clause to the regulations document.
APPRAISE (v) [uh-PREYZ]
Syn: estimate value of
Ant: ignore
Usage: Even with her eyes closed, Lynn could tell that she was being appraised
by Gary.
APPREHENSIVE (adj) [ap-ri-HEN-siv]
Syn: fearful; discerning
Ant: trusting; bold
Usage: My mother was more than a litle apprehensive about the stranger who, according to her, seemed to be following us.
APPRISE (v) [uh-PRAHYZ]
Syn: inform; tell; advise
Ant: keep secret
Usage: No mater what the consequence would be, we knew we had to apprise
the boss about the loss of data.
APPROBATION (n) [ap-ruh-BEY-shuh n]
Syn: approval; praise
Ant: criticism; disapprobation; denial; censure; refusal
Usage: She desperately sought approbation for her actions from her peers.
APPURTENANCES (n) [uh-PUR-tn-uh ns s]
Syn: subordinate possessions
Ant: principal items
Usage: We decided to buy at one go the whole set of appurtenances that would be needed for our new venture.
AQUILINE (adj) [AK-wuh-lahyn]
Syn: curved; hooked
Ant: straight
Usage: Wilma was characterized by her above-average height and sharp,
aquiline features.
ARABESQUE (n) [ar-uh-BESK]
Syn: style of decoration involving intertwined plants and abstract curves
Ant: NULL
Usage: Each contains a variation on arabesque design with green ivy spiraling on a white background.
ARABLE (adj) [AR-uh-buh l]
Syn: fit for growing crops; farmable
Ant: infertile; fallow
Usage: The plains, with their alluvial soil, are more arable for these kinds of crops.
ARBITRATE (n) [AHR-bi-treyt]
Syn: judge; decide
Ant: contest; dispute
Usage: Sam is often asked to arbitrate the issue between the two teams.
ARBORETUM (n) [ahr-buh-REE-tuh m]
Syn: botanic garden; place where different tree varieties are exhibited
Ant: NULL
Usage: Nina has an awesome arboretum with some rare eucalyptus, cypress, and pine trees.
ARCANE (adj) [ahr-KEYN]
Syn: secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated
Ant: straightforward; obvious; clear
Usage: Arcane maters discussed only between the two of us had somehow been leaked out to the press.
ARCHAIC (adj) [ahr-KEY-ik]
Syn: antiquated
Ant: modern
Usage: Her sense of dressing seemed archaic and old-fashioned.
ARCHETYPE (n) [AHR-ki-tahyp]
Syn: prototype; primitive patern; typical
Ant: atypical
Usage: Father William was the archetypal Catholic priest.
ARCHIVES (n) [AHR-kahyvs]
Syn: public records; place where public records are kept
Ant: NULL
Usage: Newspaper archives are the best place to look for old, outdated articles.
ARGOT (n) [AHR-goh]
Syn: jargon; slang
Ant: standard language
Usage: We had devised a new kind of argot among us and when we spoke in it, few others would understand what we spoke of.
ARID (adj) [AR-id]
Syn: dry; barren; dull; unimaginative
Ant: wet; moist; rainy; fertile
Usage: Surviving in the arid desert for the next ten days was a huge challenge John had to face.
ARMADA (n) [ahr-MAH-duh]
Syn: fleet of warships
Ant: NULL
Usage: A new fleet of ships had been added to the armada making it the best in the world.
ARREARS (n) [uh-REER s]
Syn: debt; obligation
Ant: paid in full; excess
Usage: The family was in deep arrears so they decided to mortgage the house.
ARROYO (n) [uh-ROI-oh]
Syn: gully; ravine
Ant: hillock
Usage: Martha and Jim had spent many happy days in their childhood playing in the mud of the arroyo adjacent to their house.
ARTICULATE (adj) [ahr-TIK-yuh-lit]
Syn: effective; distinct; coherently spoken Ant: unclear; unintelligible
Usage: Because she can put across her thoughts so articulately, Kay was chosen to represent the sales team at the debate contest.
ARTIFICE (n) [AHR-tuh-fis]
Syn: deception; trickery
Ant: fairness; candor; honesty
Usage: Quite often, artifice wins over people faster than honesty.
ASCENDANCY (n) [uh-SEN-duh n-see]
Syn: controlling influence; domination Ant: weakness; inferiority
Usage: King George failed to retain his ascendancy over the revolting masses.
ASCETICISM (n) [uh-SET-uh-siz-uh m]
Syn: doctrine of self-denial
Ant: indulgence
Usage: To practice asceticism one needs to have a very strong will and resolve.
ASCRIBE (v) [uh-SKRAHYB]
Syn: refer; atribute; assign
Ant: deny; disconnect; dissociate
Usage: Though she does at times seem very careless, it was not fair to ascribe
the mistake to her alone.
ASININE (adj) [AS-uh-nahyn]
Syn: foolish; stupid
Ant: intelligent; smart
Usage: That she could be so stupid and asinine was a huge surprise for me.
ASKANCE (adj) [uh-SKANS]
Syn: with a sideways or indirect look
Ant: directly
Usage: They looked askance at Harry, wondering how in the world he would accomplish the feat.
ASKEW (adj) [uh-SKYOO]
Syn: crooked; slanted; awry
Ant: straight
Usage: At the end of the short but very bumpy ride, Paula’s hat was askew and strands of her hair were falling all over face.
ASPERITY (n) [uh-SPER-i-tee]
Syn: sharpness (of temper)
Ant: mildness; gentleness; sweetness; softness; pleasantness
Usage: It was not appropriate for her to use such asperity while talking to young Peter; the poor litle kid was hurt.
ASSAIL (v) [uh-SEYL]
Syn: assault
Ant: applaud
Usage: The new Grand Slam champion was assailed with all sorts of questions at the press conference.
ASSIDUOUS (adj) [uh-SIJ-oo-uh s]
Syn: diligent; persevering
Ant: lazy; negligent
Usage: Sara is a commited, hardworking and assiduous worker.
ASSUAGE (v) [uh-SWEYZH]
Syn: ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)
Ant: estrange; excite; increase; provoke; inflame; incite; stimulate
Usage: The dentist talked to her gently and assuaged her fears before starting to work on her sore tooth.
ASTEROID (n) [AS-tuh-roid]
Syn: small planet
Ant: NULL
Usage: The report in the science digest spoke about how the earth would be affected if there were an asteroid strike.
ASTIGMATISM (n) [uh-STIG-muh-tiz-uh m]
Syn: eye defect that prevents proper focus Ant: sightedness
Usage: After giving me a series of eye tests, the ophthalmologist told me that I have astigmatism.
ASTRINGENT (adj) [uh-STRIN-juh nt]
Syn: binding; causing contraction; harsh Ant: bland; mild
Usage: Her sharp, caustic remarks acted like an astringent on his delicate feelings.
ASUNDER adv [uh-SUHN-der]
Syn: into parts; apart
Ant: completely
Usage: The bullet hit her body with such force that her arms were torn
asunder from her torso.
ASYMMETRIC (adj) [ey-suh-ME-trik]
Syn: not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
Ant: symmetric; balanced
Usage: A recent survey discovered that people who have asymmetric facial features are not as atractive as those with balanced features.
ATAVISM (n) [AT-uh-viz-uh m]
Syn: reversal; resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations
Ant: NULL
Usage: Suddenly there was an atavism of fortunes and overnight he rose from a pauper to a millionaire.
ATHEISTIC (adj) [ey-thee-IS-tik]
Syn: denying the existence of god Ant: faithful; spiritual
Usage: Brian has begun to exhibit atheistic behavior and refuses to visit the church anymore.
ATROCITY (n) [uh-TROS-i-tee]
Syn: brutal deed
Ant: kindness
Usage: On the prison island of Alcataraz, numerous unspeakable atrocities
were commited on prisoners.
ATTENUATE (v) [uh-TEN-yoo-eyt]
Syn: make thin; weaken; contract
Ant: expand; increase; intensify; strengthen
Usage: The tight corset only seemed to aflenuate her figure making her look thinner than ever.
ATTEST (v) [uh-TEST]
Syn: testify; bear witness
Ant: refute; disprove; oppugn; deny
Usage: Anyone who knows Jim well would aflest to the fact that he is a good father.
ATTRIBUTE (v) [UH-trib-yoot]
Syn: ascribe; explain; accuse
Ant: vindicate; exonerate; absolve
Usage: “We would like to aflribute our success to you, Sir,” said the students, brimming with gratitude.
ATYPICAL (adj) [ey-TIP-i-kuhl]
Syn: not normal
Ant: typical; normal
Usage: His atypical, violent behavior caused his mother great alarm.
AUDACIOUS (adj) [aw-DEY-shuh s]
Syn: daring; bold
Ant: cowardly; timid; feckless; diffident; introverted
Usage: Her audacious behavior shocked the entire crowd.
AUGMENT (v) [awg-MENT]
Syn: increase; add to
Ant: reduce: diminish: deduct
Usage: She has decided to take up another part-time job to augment her income.
AUGURY (n) [AW-gyuh-ree]
Syn: omen; prophecy
Ant: luck; providence
Usage: Her sense of augury allows her to predict events in an uncanny and bizarre way.
AUREOLE (n) [AWR-ee-ohl]
Syn: sun's corona; halo
Ant: NULL
Usage: Michael arrived into the room looking like a radiant angel with an
aureole around his blond head.
AUSPICIOUS (adj) [aw-SPISH-uh s]
Syn: favoring success; faring well for the future; propitious
Ant: inauspicious; unpropitious; discouraging
Usage: It seemed a very auspicious moment to propose to her, so he immediately did that.
AUSTERE (adj) [aw-STEER]
Syn: forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented
Ant: indulgent; genial; luxurious; mild; dissipated
Usage: A nun’s simple and austere lifestyle was just not Gina’s cup of tea; she was too used to material comforts.
AUTHENTICATE (v) [aw-THEN-ti-keyt]
Syn: prove genuine
Ant: disprove
Usage: The bank refused to let him inside the locker vault unless he
authenticated his identity.
AUTOMATON (n) [aw-TOM-uh-ton]
Syn: mechanism that imitates actions of humans
Ant: human
Usage: Don’t work so hard as to become an automaton following a mechanical routine.
AUTOPSY (n) [AW-top-see]
Syn: examination of a dead body; post-mortem
Ant: biopsy; examination of living tissue
Usage: The police wanted permission from Dana’s mother to perform an
autopsy which they said would determine the cause and exact time of death.
AVALANCHE (n) [AV-uh-lanch]
Syn: great mass of falling snow and ice
Ant: NULL
Usage: You felt something might come soon but nobody expected the
avalanche.
AVENGE (v) [uh-VENJ]
Syn: take vengeance for something; retaliate
Ant: forgive
Usage: Bill has his chance to avenge the defeat in the Thursday singles final.
AVERT (v) [uh-VURT]
Syn: prevent; turn away
Ant: allow
Usage: For having taken the efforts to avert a major disaster with his quick presence of mind and courage, Sgt. Jim Bellows was awarded a gold medal.
AVOCATION (n) [av-uh-KEY-shuh n]
Syn: secondary or minor occupation; hobby
Ant: idleness; leisure; holiday
Usage: Cooking seems to be her favorite avocation.
AVUNCULAR (adj) [uh-VUHNG-kyuh-ler]
Syn: like an uncle; able
Ant: NULL
Usage: The reason women tend to confide easily in Bill is his avuncular
features, which they say remind them of their uncles.
AXIOM (n) [AK-see-uh m]
Syn: self-evident truth, requiring no proof
Ant: fallacy
Usage: It is a sad fact today that many youngsters are not aware of the classic timeless axioms, which were articulated decades ago.
AZURE (adj) [AZH-er]
Syn: sky blue; cerulean
Ant: sky
Usage: His dreamy and azure eyes made many women swoon in their sky blue intensity.
BACCHANALIAN (adj) [bak-uh-NEY-lee-uh] Syn: drunken
Ant: sober
Usage: Young Croft’s bacchanalian tendencies had his aristocratic father seriously worried about his excessive drinking.
BADINAGE (n) [bad-n-AHZH]
Syn: teasing conversation
Ant: seriousness
Usage: The night was filled with the merry-making and badinage of the young men.
BALEFUL (adj) [BEYL-fuh l]
Syn: deadly; having a malign influence; ominous
Ant: pleasant
Usage: He kept casting baleful glances at her every now and then.
BALLAST (n) [BAL-uh st]
Syn: heavy substance used to add stability or weight
Ant: lightness
Usage: Extra ballast was atached to the boat to assure it would stay upright
BANDY (v) [BAN-dee]
Syn: discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly
Ant: discuss seriously
Usage: The brothers like to bandy insults back and forth every night before they fall asleep.
BANE (n) [beyn]
Syn: cause of ruin; curse
Ant: boon; benefit
Usage: Whether video blogging recently launched by Google will be a boon or bane is yet to be seen.
BANEFUL (adj) [beyn-fuhl]
Syn: destructive; causing ruin or death
Ant: advantageous; beneficial; fortunate
Usage: Mohammed was a believer in the baneful influence of the evil eye.
BARB (n) [bahrb]
Syn: sharp projection from a fishhook, etc; openly cuting remark
Ant: bluntness
Usage: When irate, she would use her words like sharp barbs, which could really hurt people.
BARD (n) [bahrd]
Syn: poet
Ant: NULL
Usage: Robert Burns, the poet, is Scotland’s best-loved bard.
BAREFACED (adj) [BAIR-feyst]
Syn: shameless; bold; unconcealed Ant: careful; quiet; shamed
Usage: I could not believe that she would escape with such a barefaced lie but she did.
BAROQUE (adj) [buh-ROHK]
Syn: highly ornate
Ant: simple, unadorned
Usage: The mansion was built in baroque fashion with columns and arcades.
BARRAGE (n) [buh-RAHZH]
Syn: barrier laid down by artillery fire; deluge
Ant: NULL
Usage: A barrage of bullets hit the bunker, throwing the soldiers to the ground.
BARTERER (n) [BAHR-ter-er]
Syn: trader
Ant: NULL
Usage: When John discovered that Mathew was a barterer, he wished to learn from him more about trade and negotiations.
BASTION (n) [BAS-chuh n]
Syn: fortress; defense; fortification
Ant: weakness
Usage: The troops decided to line up along the bastion, which offered them a vantage point of view.
BATE (v) [beyt]
Syn: let down; restrain; lessen
Ant: add
Usage: The students waited for the year-end results with bated breath.
BAUBLE (n) [BAW-buh l]
Syn: trinket; trifle
Ant: item of significance
Usage: Billy had gone through endless adventures and hardships in search of the diamonds but ended up with only a few baubles and gems that weren’t worth much.
BAWDY (adj) [BAW-dee]
Syn: indecent; obscene Ant: serious; upstanding
Usage: The sailors loved to unwind at the pub, drinking beer and sharing
bawdy jokes.
BEATIFIC (adj) [bee-uh-TIF-ik]
Syn: giving bliss; blissful
Ant: miserable; sorrowful; unhappy
Usage: The pope bestowed a beatific smile upon them thrilling their hearts.
BEATIFY (v) [bee-AT-uh-fahy]
Syn: bless or sanctify
Ant: condemn; curse; damn
Usage: The contract blesses, canonizes and beatifies this slip of paper as the total sum due.
BEATITUDE (n) [bee-AT-i-tood]
Syn: blessedness; state of bliss
Ant: grief; misery; sorrow; unhappiness
Usage: When the Smiths finally reached the Virgin Mary shrine and beheld her carved angelic face, they felt no end of beatitude and bliss.
BEDRAGGLED (adj) [bi-DRAG-uh ld]
Syn: wet thoroughly; stained with mud; fatigued
Ant: energized; refreshed
Usage: Despite Jim’s insistence that he had goten into a mishap, the hotel doorman refused to let him in, seeing his bedraggled appearance.
BEGRUDGE (v) [bi-GRUHJ]
Syn: resent; envy
Ant: affirm; allow; concede
Usage: We weren’t so pety-minded as to begrudge Kylie her hard-won success.
BEGUILE (v) [bi-GAHYL]
Syn: mislead or delude; pass time
Ant: be honest
Usage: Regardless of whether they are friends or strangers, Carmen can easily
beguile anyone, winning them over with her duplicity.
BEHOOVE (v) [bi-HOOV]
Syn: be suited to; be incumbent upon
Ant: disagree
Usage: It doesn’t behoove a girl from such an affluent family to be talking in this manner.
BELABOR (v) [bi-LEY-ber]
Syn: explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; atack verbally
Ant: relax; simplify
Usage: With cruel, harsh words they belabored the importance of the code of conduct they had raised her to follow…and she had broken.
BELEAGUER (v) [bi-LEE-ger]
Syn: besiege or atack; harass; annoy
Ant: leave alone
Usage: Faced with bankruptcy of his company, the director was beleaguered
with pressures and tensions of all kinds.
BELITTLE (v) [bi-LIT-l]
Syn: disparage or depreciate; put down
Ant: build up; praise
Usage: It was not right of Jake to beliflle his neighbor’s achievements in this manner.
BELLICOSE (adj) [BEL-i-kohs]
Syn: warlike
Ant: peaceful
Usage:His bellicose and arrogant behavior was beginning to get on everybody’s nerves.
BEMOAN (v) [bih-MOHN]
Syn: lament; express disapproval of
Ant: gloat; be happy
Usage: I could bemoan the lack of articles but I won't; my pleas fall on deaf ears.
BEMUSED (adj) [bi-MYOOZD]
Syn: confused; lost in thought; preoccupied; absentminded
Ant: atentive
Usage: He could see that she hadn’t been paying attention at all when she gave a bemused look in response to his query.
