English Vocabulary · GRE Live Review Preview

GRE Vocabulary Words

The GRE Verbal Reasoning measure asks test takers to understand and evaluate written material, analyze relationships among ideas, and use evidence within a sentence or passage. Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence all reward careful attention to connotation, contrast, logic, and precise word choice—not isolated memorization alone.

This independently authored 800-word beta curriculum prioritizes vocabulary identified in Magoosh’s official public GRE vocabulary ebook, then draws on advanced KSSR entries that have already passed English safety and structure audits. Additional official and public GRE references guide test alignment and editorial review. Overlap with SAT and advanced school-level vocabulary is intentional because the tests share academic language. Pages containing words 1–500 include five cloze questions; every word remains visible, editable in Vocabulary Studio, and available for private difficult/learned tracking. This unofficial resource is not endorsed by or affiliated with ETS.

Open the basic text version — works without JavaScript and is suitable for printing.

Your private study tools

Track your learning with My Vocabulary

Use the three small controls beside any word. Your choices stay attached to your account and appear in your My Vocabulary record.

Star a difficult word to practise it again.
Check a word when you have learned it.
Add a note with a memory clue, synonym, or reminder.

These controls work during your free visits and save privately on this browser. Sign in to move them into your account’s My Vocabulary record.

Printable study sheet

Create a PDF worksheet

Choose any start-to-end page range and meaning language, then include or omit each practice section.

Start page End page Meaning language

Include practice sections Reading passage Comprehension questions Existing cloze MCQs

Words 281–315 of 800
#	Word	Details	Meaning	Sample sentence
281	affectation	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ation commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result.	unnatural behavior adopted to impress others	His elaborate accent was an affectation that disappeared among friends.
282	agenda	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: agenda is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a list of matters to address or a hidden purpose	Environmental protection moved to the top of the council's agenda.
283	agrarian	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: agrarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	related to farming or rural land	The reform transformed an agrarian economy into an industrial one.
284	alloy	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: alloy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a metal made by combining two or more elements	Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.
285	ambience	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ence commonly forms a noun naming an action, quality, or state.	the mood or character of a place	Soft lighting gave the library a calm ambience.
286	amenity	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition.	a useful or pleasant feature of a place	Reliable internet became an essential amenity for the remote town.
287	amoral	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: amoral is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	unconcerned with whether behavior is right or wrong	The novel depicts the machine as amoral rather than deliberately cruel.
288	amorous	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ous commonly forms an adjective meaning full of or characterized by.	showing romantic affection or desire	The poet addressed each amorous sonnet to an unnamed beloved.
289	anguish	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: anguish is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	severe mental or physical suffering	The letter conveys a parent's anguish after the disappearance.
290	apocalyptic	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: apocalyptic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	describing complete destruction or the end of the world	The article rejects apocalyptic predictions unsupported by climate models.
291	apocryphal	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: apocryphal is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	widely repeated but probably not true	The apocryphal story appears in no contemporary account.
292	appreciable	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -able means capable of, suitable for, or worthy of an action.	large enough to be noticed or measured	The treatment produced an appreciable decline in symptoms.
293	aptitude	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: aptitude is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a natural ability to learn or perform something	Her aptitude for spatial reasoning became clear in engineering class.
294	arbiter	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: arbiter is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a person with authority to settle a dispute	Both parties accepted the retired judge as a neutral arbiter.
295	artful	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: artful is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	cleverly or skillfully designed, sometimes to deceive	The candidate gave an artful answer that avoided the central issue.
296	artifice	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: artifice is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a clever device or strategy used to deceive	The memoir's apparent simplicity is a deliberate artifice.
297	ascendancy	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: ascendancy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a position of controlling influence or dominance	The party gained ascendancy after winning several regional elections.
298	atheist	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ist often names a person associated with a field, belief, or practice.	a person who does not believe in any deity	The essay compares the moral arguments of an atheist and a theologian.
299	attrition	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ition commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result.	a gradual reduction through loss or wearing away	Staff attrition left the agency unable to process applications quickly.
300	audacity	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition.	bold willingness to take a surprising risk	The plan's audacity attracted investors who valued innovation.
301	authoritarian	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: authoritarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	demanding strict obedience while limiting personal freedom	The authoritarian government banned independent newspapers.
302	avuncular	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: avuncular is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	kind and friendly in the manner of a helpful uncle	His avuncular advice reassured the nervous interns.
303	balk	verb Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: balk is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	to hesitate or refuse when faced with a demand	Taxpayers may balk at funding a project with no clear budget.
304	beget	verb Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: beget is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	to cause or produce something	Fear can beget secrecy, which in turn creates more fear.
305	benefactor	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: benefactor is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	a person who gives money or help to a cause	An anonymous benefactor paid for the library's repairs.
306	benevolent	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: benevolent is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	kind and motivated by a desire to do good	The foundation's benevolent mission includes free legal aid.
307	bequeath	verb Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: bequeath is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	to leave property to someone through a will	The collector chose to bequeath the paintings to a public museum.
308	bereft	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: bereft is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	deprived of something valuable or necessary	After the archive burned, historians were bereft of primary records.
309	blasphemy	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: blasphemy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	speech or action showing contempt for sacred beliefs	The novel examines a society in which blasphemy is punished by law.
310	blatant	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: blatant is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	very obvious and offensive	The advertisement made a blatant attempt to disguise sponsorship as news.
311	blight	noun Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: blight is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	something that damages, spoils, or causes decline	Abandoned buildings became a blight on the neighborhood.
312	blithe	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: blithe is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	showing casual indifference to possible harm	His blithe assurance ignored every warning from the engineers.
313	boorish	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: boorish is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	rude and insensitive in behavior	The guest's boorish interruptions ended the friendly conversation.
314	bourgeois	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: bourgeois is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	associated with conventional middle-class values or material concerns	The playwright mocked what she saw as bourgeois respectability.
315	bucolic	adjective Study Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: bucolic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.	pleasantly describing country life or rural scenery	The poem presents a bucolic landscape untouched by industry.

Vocabulary reading and practice

Page 9 vocabulary review

Review five selected words from page 9.

Vocabulary quiz

Complete 5 review questions for this page.

1. His elaborate accent was an _____ that disappeared among friends.

Answer: affectation

2. Environmental protection moved to the top of the council's _____.

Answer: agenda

3. The reform transformed an _____ economy into an industrial one.

Answer: agrarian

4. Bronze is an _____ of copper and tin.

Answer: alloy

5. Soft lighting gave the library a calm _____.

Answer: ambience

JavaScript is unavailable. The word list, language links, page links, reading, and answer-reveal questions above still work as ordinary HTML. Use the Basic text version to display the complete level on one page.

About GRE Verbal Reasoning

The GRE Verbal Reasoning measure examines how well test takers understand and evaluate written material, recognize relationships among words and concepts, and analyze how parts of a sentence work together. Its three principal verbal question types are Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence.

Vocabulary matters on the GRE, but memorizing a definition is only the beginning. Strong preparation also connects each word to its connotation, common contrasts, near-synonyms, and role in an argument. Use the examples, readings, and quizzes here to practise choosing words from evidence in the sentence, then use official ETS material to learn the precise test format.

ETS test overview

Sources and curriculum references

These references guide selection and calibration. Definitions, sample sentences, readings, questions, and teaching notes are independently written and reviewed.

GRE Vocabulary Words

Track your learning with My Vocabulary

Create a PDF worksheet

Page 9 vocabulary review

English reading

Translation

Vocabulary quiz

Vocabulary chart page

Website | 웹사이트

Address | 주소

Email | 이메일