GRE Vocabulary: 400 High-Value Words with Examples

Learn 400 GRE-level words through meaning, nuance and original context.

400 cardsLast updated 2026-08-16

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GRE verbal questions reward precise distinctions in meaning, tone and logic rather than simple word recognition. These 400 independently written cards prioritize the words that let you evaluate evidence, qualify a claim, identify attitude and follow a complex argument. Entries are organized into semantic families — a small number of foundational anchors first, then the denser contrasts and the higher-utility advanced vocabulary. Each answer gives a concise definition, a usage cue or contrast, and an original sentence. Import it and the whole deck joins your spaced-repetition schedule. Words you already know stretch out and drop out of sight; the ones that keep slipping come back until they stop slipping. What goes down is the number of words you still don't know — not the time it takes to flip past 400 cards you mostly do.

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Showing 100 representative cards from the full 400-card deck.

Front	Back
abrogate (verb)	to formally abolish or cancel a law, agreement, or custom. Contrast: implies official repeal, not casual rejection. Example: The council voted to abrogate the outdated ordinance after the review showed it conflicted with current safety standards.
abscond (verb)	to leave hurriedly and secretly, especially to avoid arrest or responsibility. Contrast: stealthy escape rather than ordinary departure. Example: The treasurer absconded with the records before the audit could begin.
abstract (adjective)	existing as an idea, principle, or quality rather than as a concrete object; often difficult to picture. Contrast: emphasizes general concepts over specific examples. Example: The philosopher treated justice as an abstract ideal that needed testing in real institutions.
abstruse (adjective)	hard to understand because it is complex, obscure, or highly technical. Contrast: more difficult and less accessible than merely unclear. Example: The article’s abstruse argument intimidated readers who expected a straightforward explanation of the data.
acclaim (noun)	strong public praise or approval. Contrast: broad applause or recognition, not private admiration. Example: The documentary received acclaim for turning a dry policy debate into a vivid public narrative.
adjure (verb)	to urge or command someone earnestly, often by invoking authority or a solemn appeal. Contrast: stronger and more pressing than simple asking. Example: The witness was adjured to tell the truth before the panel began its inquiry.
affirm (verb)	to state positively or assert as true; to confirm. Contrast: stronger than suggesting and often more definite than implying. Example: The report affirms that the treatment works best when paired with early intervention.
allude (verb)	to refer to something indirectly or by hint rather than direct mention. Contrast: subtle reference instead of explicit naming. Example: The speaker alluded to the scandal without identifying anyone in the room.
analyze (verb)	to examine something by separating it into parts and studying relationships among them. Contrast: more careful and structured than simply looking at. Example: The team analyzed the testimony to determine which details were firsthand and which were hearsay.
apprise (verb)	to inform or notify, especially in a formal or careful way. Contrast: more official than casually telling. Example: The analyst apprised the directors of the error before the findings were released.
arrogate (verb)	to claim or seize something without right or authority. Contrast: an overreach of power or entitlement. Example: The minister was accused of arrogating powers that belonged to the legislature.
assiduous (adjective)	careful, persistent, and hardworking over time. Contrast: sustained diligence rather than bursts of effort. Example: Her assiduous review of the archive uncovered a pattern no one else had noticed.
attribute (verb)	to explain or regard something as caused by a particular source or quality. Contrast: connects an effect to a cause or credit to a source. Example: The researchers attributed the decline in errors to better training and simpler software.
acumen (noun)	sharp practical judgment and the ability to understand a difficult situation quickly. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: Her financial acumen allowed the nonprofit to expand without taking on unsustainable debt.
censure (noun)	strong disapproval or official criticism. Contrast: harsher than mild disapproval, but not always a formal punishment. Example: The scientist faced censure after omitting crucial conflicts of interest from the paper.
capricious (adjective)	changing suddenly and unpredictably, often without a clear reason. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: A capricious enforcement policy left applicants unsure which rule would apply.
coherent (adjective)	logical, orderly, and easy to follow as a whole. Contrast: ideas fit together instead of feeling fragmented. Example: Her coherent account of the crisis helped the council see how the failures connected.
comprise (verb)	to consist of; to be made up of. Contrast: focuses on whole and parts, not mere inclusion. Example: The advisory board comprises economists, educators, and public-health specialists.
condone (verb)	to tolerate or overlook wrongdoing, often implicitly. Contrast: not approval, but failure to object strongly enough. Example: The university said it would not condone plagiarism, even when it was difficult to prove.
conspicuous (adjective)	clearly visible or noticeable; hard to miss. Contrast: stands out in a way that may be intentional or unwanted. Example: Her conspicuous silence during the debate suggested she disagreed with the plan.
credence (noun)	belief in or acceptance of something as true. Contrast: the amount of trust a claim receives. Example: The leaked memo gave credence to rumors that the project would be delayed.
dichotomy (noun)	a division into two sharply contrasted categories, sometimes an oversimplification. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The essay rejects the false dichotomy between economic growth and environmental protection.
disclose (verb)	to reveal or make known, especially something previously hidden or withheld. Contrast: bringing information into view. Example: The firm disclosed its funding sources after the committee asked for transparency.
elaborate (verb)	to explain or expand on something in greater detail. Contrast: adding depth, not unnecessary complication. Example: The author elaborated on the hypothesis in a later appendix.
exemplary (adjective)	serving as a model of excellence or correctness. Contrast: not merely good, but worthy of imitation. Example: Her exemplary handling of the dispute earned respect from both sides.
fallible (adjective)	capable of making mistakes or being wrong. Contrast: emphasizes human imperfection rather than incompetence. Example: The judge reminded the jury that memory is fallible, especially under stress.
empirical (adjective)	based on observation or experiment rather than theory alone. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The model is elegant, but its central assumption still lacks empirical support.
ephemeral (adjective)	lasting for only a very short time. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The apparent recovery proved ephemeral once emergency funding ended.
moot (adjective)	open to debate, unresolved, or no longer important in practice. Contrast: can mean both theoretical and practically irrelevant depending on context. Example: Once the contract expired, the dispute became moot.
applaud (verb)	To express approval or praise, literally or figuratively. Nuance: can mean both clapping and endorsing an idea. Example: Economists applauded the reform for reducing waste without weakening oversight.
exaggerate (verb)	To make something seem larger, better, worse, or more intense than it really is. Nuance: not necessarily false, but overstated. Example: The consultant exaggerated the ease of implementation and ignored the costs of training.
rebuke (verb)	To scold or criticize sharply. Nuance: direct but usually shorter and less elaborate than a public denunciation. Example: The chair rebuked the speaker for interrupting colleagues and refusing to answer follow-up questions.
equivocal (adjective)	open to more than one interpretation or deliberately noncommittal. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The spokesperson’s equivocal answer did little to resolve doubts about the policy.
acerbic (adjective)	Sharp, severe, and often unpleasant in manner or tone. Nuance: less openly cruel than caustic, but still cutting. Example: His acerbic comments made the meeting productive only after everyone had recovered their composure.
invalidate (verb)	To make something no longer acceptable, effective, or legally valid. Nuance: more procedural than emotional criticism. Example: The missing signature invalidated the contract and forced both sides back to negotiations.
anguished (adjective)	Full of severe mental suffering or distress. Nuance: stronger and more painful than simple sadness. Example: The parent’s anguished appeal made the audience hear the policy debate as a human crisis.
ecstatic (adjective)	Overwhelmed with intense joy or excitement. Nuance: near the top of the happiness scale. Example: The startup’s founders were ecstatic when the grant allowed them to hire their first full team.
indignant (adjective)	Angry because something seems unfair or insulting. Nuance: anger with a strong sense of moral offense. Example: The residents were indignant that the transit plan favored downtown routes at the expense of their neighborhood.
fastidious (adjective)	extremely attentive to detail, accuracy or cleanliness. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: A fastidious editor checked every citation before the report was released.
diffident (adjective)	Lacking confidence in social situations; shy and hesitant. Nuance: implies reserve rather than open fear. Example: The diffident intern waited to speak until the meeting had nearly ended.
affable (adjective)	Friendly, approachable, and easy to talk to. Nuance: warm in manner rather than deeply intimate. Example: The affable dean remembered names, which made even skeptical students feel heard.
hackneyed (adjective)	made dull or unoriginal through excessive use. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The conclusion relies on a hackneyed metaphor instead of addressing the evidence.
sanguine (adjective)	Optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation. Nuance: hopeful despite evidence that might justify doubt. Example: The team remained sanguine about the merger, though the regulatory review looked complicated.
benevolent (adjective)	Kind, well-meaning, and inclined to do good. Nuance: kinder and less self-sacrificing than altruistic. Example: The benevolent trustee funded the scholarship without asking to be named.
honorable (adjective)	Characterized by integrity, dignity, or ethical conduct. Nuance: can refer to both behavior and social esteem. Example: It was honorable of her to disclose the error before anyone else discovered it.
duplicitous (adjective)	Deceitful, using two-faced or hidden intentions. Nuance: implies intentional misleading behavior. Example: The duplicitous broker presented himself as neutral while steering clients toward the higher commission.
conciliatory (adjective)	Intended to calm disagreement or win back goodwill. Nuance: aims at reconciliation rather than victory. Example: Her conciliatory message softened the dispute enough for both sides to return to the table.
churlish (adjective)	Rude, ill-mannered, or unpleasantly difficult. Nuance: more petty and ungracious than openly hostile. Example: It seemed churlish to reject the invitation without even sending a brief note of thanks.
mendacious (adjective)	Given to lying; dishonest in speech. Nuance: more formal than simply false, and often character-based. Example: The mendacious witness changed his story whenever the evidence threatened to corner him.
placate (verb)	To calm someone down by making concessions or giving reassurance. Nuance: aims to reduce anger, not necessarily solve the problem. Example: The company offered meal vouchers to placate stranded passengers after the cancellation.
moralistic (adjective)	Focused on judging right and wrong in a preachy or rigid way. Nuance: more about lecturing than ethical insight. Example: The article’s moralistic tone made readers distrust its argument before they reached the end.
accelerate (verb)	to increase speed or make something happen sooner; it can describe motion, processes, or trends. Contrast with expedite, which stresses making a task move more efficiently rather than physically faster. Example: The new policy accelerated approval of permits for small businesses.
attenuate (verb)	to weaken, thin, or reduce intensity; it is often used for forces, effects, or signals. Contrast with dilute, which focuses more on spreading out a substance or message. Example: The filters attenuate noise before the data reach the analyst.
deteriorate (verb)	to become worse in quality, condition, or value over time; it implies decline rather than a sudden collapse. Contrast with erode, which often suggests gradual wearing away. Example: Relations between the partners deteriorated after repeated missed deadlines.
expand (verb)	to become or make larger, broader, or more inclusive; it can refer to size, scope, or influence. Contrast with narrow, which reduces range. Example: The program expanded to include mentorship for first-generation students.
hasten (verb)	to speed up an action or event, often by taking steps that bring it sooner. Contrast with delay, which pushes an outcome back. Example: The warning hastened the board’s decision to suspend the project.
ineffable (adjective)	too great, subtle or unusual to be expressed adequately in words. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The memoir tries to convey the ineffable sense of loss that followed the evacuation.
lacuna (noun)	a missing part, gap or blank in an argument, record or body of knowledge. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The absence of rural data leaves a serious lacuna in the study.
revise (verb)	to review and alter something to improve it or make it accurate. Contrast with preserve, which keeps something unchanged. Example: The team revised the proposal after realizing several assumptions were outdated.
trickle (verb)	to flow or arrive slowly in small amounts; it suggests a weak, limited supply. Contrast with flood, which implies sudden abundance. Example: Donations trickled in after the initial publicity faded.
ample (adjective)	more than sufficient in size, amount, or degree; it suggests comfortable adequacy rather than extravagance. Contrast with meager, which signals insufficiency. Example: The researcher left ample time for questions after the lecture.
lavish (adjective)	very generous or extravagant in amount, quality, or display; it can describe abundance with a showy edge. Contrast with modest, which is restrained. Example: The gala featured a lavish spread that exceeded the donors’ expectations.
skimpy (adjective)	too small, slight, or insufficient for comfort or adequacy; it often carries a dismissive tone. Contrast with generous, which exceeds basic needs. Example: The proposal’s skimpy data section raised doubts about the analysis.
wanting (adjective)	deficient or lacking in some needed quality, amount, or standard. Contrast with sufficient, which meets the requirement. Example: The draft was wanting in evidence, though the central idea was promising.
overt (adjective)	openly displayed or done in the clear, with no attempt at concealment. Contrast with covert, which is hidden or secret. Example: The campaign’s overt appeal to donors drew criticism from the press.
equivocate (verb)	to speak in a deliberately unclear way in order to avoid a direct answer or commitment. Contrast with answer plainly, which gives a direct response. Example: When pressed on the budget cuts, the minister equivocated rather than naming a number.
recondite (adjective)	deeply obscure, specialized, or understood by only a few experts. Contrast with accessible, which is easy for a broad audience. Example: The article’s recondite references limited its readership to specialists.
assent (noun)	agreement or approval, especially after consideration. Contrast with dissent, which is disagreement. Example: The plan advanced only after the committee gave its assent.
harmony (noun)	a pleasing state of agreement, balance, or compatibility. Contrast with friction, which suggests strain and conflict. Example: The partnership operated in harmony until funding decisions introduced tension.
capitulate (verb)	to surrender or give in after resisting; it implies loss of leverage or resolve. Contrast with hold firm, which keeps resisting. Example: The union capitulated only after the strike fund was exhausted.
discord (noun)	lack of agreement, harmony, or peace; it often signals persistent tension. Contrast with concord, which is harmony or agreement. Example: Budget discord lingered long after the formal vote.
recalcitrant (adjective)	stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or agreement. Contrast with amenable, which is willing to cooperate. Example: The recalcitrant witness refused to answer even the most direct questions.
adamant (adjective)	Firmly refusing to change one’s mind or position. Nuance: stronger than stubborn, with an almost immovable quality. Example: She remained adamant that the data be rechecked before the paper was submitted.
allocate (verb)	To assign or distribute resources for a particular purpose. Nuance: often implies deliberate planning in limited circumstances. Example: The dean allocated additional funds to the lab after the safety review.
analogous (adjective)	Similar in some important way, making comparison useful. Nuance: points to partial resemblance, not identity. Example: The researcher argued that the two ecosystems are analogous in structure, though not in species.
antediluvian (adjective)	Extremely old, outdated, or primitive. Nuance: often used humorously or critically for ideas and systems that seem hopelessly behind the times. Example: The company’s antediluvian approval process could not handle remote work.
articulate (verb)	To express an idea clearly and effectively in words. Nuance: stresses precision and clarity of expression. Example: The witness struggled at first, then articulated the sequence of events with remarkable clarity.
audacious (adjective)	Bold in a way that can seem daring, risky, or even disrespectful. Nuance: can be admired for courage or criticized for excess. Example: Her audacious bid to reshape the curriculum challenged a decade of settled practice.
banal (adjective)	Lacking freshness or originality; overused and dull. Nuance: implies stale predictability rather than harmless simplicity. Example: The keynote avoided banal slogans and instead offered concrete evidence for reform.
catalyze (verb)	To trigger or accelerate a process or change. Nuance: often means causing movement rather than directly creating the final result. Example: The public scandal catalyzed reforms that had stalled for years.
commensurate (adjective)	Proportionate or corresponding in scale, degree, or size. Nuance: often used when one thing should match another fairly. Example: The compensation was not commensurate with the workload expected of the position.
debilitate (verb)	To weaken or drain strength. Nuance: often used for illness, exhaustion, or conditions that severely reduce capability. Example: The flu debilitated the researcher just as the conference opened.
denigrate (verb)	To attack the reputation or worth of someone or something; to belittle. Nuance: often involves unfair or degrading criticism. Example: The campaign denigrated the researcher’s work instead of addressing the findings.
diaphanous (adjective)	Light, delicate, and almost transparent. Nuance: often used for fabric, light, or anything that appears fragile and airy. Example: The painter used a diaphanous wash of color to suggest morning fog.
disinterested (adjective)	Unbiased and not personally invested in the outcome. Nuance: in careful usage, it means impartial, not bored. Example: A disinterested reviewer was brought in to assess the competing proposals.
dissonance (noun)	A lack of harmony or a clash between elements. Nuance: can refer to sound, ideas, or feelings that do not fit together. Example: There was clear dissonance between the company’s rhetoric and its hiring practices.
duress (noun)	Forced pressure, especially threats or coercion. Nuance: usually used when someone’s choice is not fully voluntary. Example: The confession was later challenged because it had been made under duress.
elicit (verb)	To draw out a response, reaction, or information. Nuance: suggests active prompting rather than passive receiving. Example: The survey questions were designed to elicit candid feedback from participants.
emollient (adjective)	Soothing, softening, or conciliatory in tone or effect. Nuance: often describes language that calms tension rather than confronts it. Example: The emollient wording of the statement helped prevent the dispute from escalating.
parsimonious (adjective)	using the fewest assumptions or resources necessary; sometimes excessively frugal. Usage cue: distinguish the word by its logical or tonal role, not by a loose synonym. Example: The parsimonious explanation accounts for all three findings without inventing a new mechanism.
abstemious (adjective)	restrained in eating or drinking; marked by moderation rather than indulgence. Example: His abstemious routine made long conference dinners feel less like temptation than logistics.
adumbrate (verb)	to hint at or foreshadow something before fully revealing it; suggests an outline rather than a full statement. Example: The opening chapter adumbrated the novel’s central conflict long before the villain appeared.
affectation (noun)	an artificial display meant to impress others; a forced mannerism rather than a genuine trait. Example: His affectation of rustic simplicity rang false in a man who had never once traveled without an entourage.
allot (verb)	to distribute or assign a portion to someone or something; often implies measured division of a limited supply. Example: The chair allotted each speaker seven minutes and enforced the limit ruthlessly.
amorphous (adjective)	without a clear shape, structure, or definite boundaries; can be literal or abstract. Example: The coalition stayed amorphous until a shared platform gave it direction.
antipodal (adjective)	diametrically opposite in position, character, or opinion; suggests near-total contrast. Example: Their antipodal views on punishment made compromise difficult but not wholly impossible.
ascribe (verb)	to attribute something to a cause, source, or person; often used when explaining origins. Example: The analyst ascribed the company’s sudden growth to better logistics, not to advertising.
attenuation (noun)	a weakening, reduction, or thinning out; often used for force, intensity, or signal strength. Example: The attenuation of public outrage allowed the scandal to fade before the election.
benevolence (noun)	a kindly or charitable disposition; goodness expressed through helpful intent. Example: The judge’s benevolence shaped the sentencing only within the limits of the law.
bombastic (adjective)	pompous and inflated in style or speech; sounds grander than the substance deserves. Example: His bombastic keynote concealed a remarkably thin policy proposal.

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