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GRE Vocabulary Words

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.

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800 words
Words 281–315 of 800
#WordDetailsMeaningSample sentence
281affectationnoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ation commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result.

affetazioneHis elaborate accent was an affectation that disappeared among friends.
282agendanoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: agenda is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. agenda 2. ordine del giornoEnvironmental protection moved to the top of the council's agenda.
283agrarianadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: agrarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

agrarioThe reform transformed an agrarian economy into an industrial one.
284alloynoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: alloy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

legaBronze is an alloy of copper and tin.
285ambiencenoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ence commonly forms a noun naming an action, quality, or state.

ambienteSoft lighting gave the library a calm ambience.
286amenitynoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition.

amenitàReliable internet became an essential amenity for the remote town.
287amoraladjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: amoral is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

amoraleThe novel depicts the machine as amoral rather than deliberately cruel.
288amorousadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ous commonly forms an adjective meaning full of or characterized by.

amorosoThe poet addressed each amorous sonnet to an unnamed beloved.
289anguishnoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: anguish is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. angosciarsi 2. angoscia 3. croceThe letter conveys a parent's anguish after the disappearance.
290apocalypticadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: apocalyptic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

apocalitticoThe article rejects apocalyptic predictions unsupported by climate models.
291apocryphaladjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: apocryphal is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

apocrifoThe apocryphal story appears in no contemporary account.
292appreciableadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -able means capable of, suitable for, or worthy of an action.

apprezzabileThe treatment produced an appreciable decline in symptoms.
293aptitudenoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: aptitude is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

attitudineHer aptitude for spatial reasoning became clear in engineering class.
294arbiternoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: arbiter is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

arbitroBoth parties accepted the retired judge as a neutral arbiter.
295artfuladjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: artful is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

abileThe candidate gave an artful answer that avoided the central issue.
296artificenoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: artifice is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

artificioThe memoir's apparent simplicity is a deliberate artifice.
297ascendancynoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: ascendancy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

influssoThe party gained ascendancy after winning several regional elections.
298atheistnoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ist often names a person associated with a field, belief, or practice.

1. ateo 2. atea 3. ateistaThe essay compares the moral arguments of an atheist and a theologian.
299attritionnoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ition commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result.

affaticamentoStaff attrition left the agency unable to process applications quickly.
300audacitynoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition.

audaciaThe plan's audacity attracted investors who valued innovation.
301authoritarianadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: authoritarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

autoritarioThe authoritarian government banned independent newspapers.
302avuncularadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: avuncular is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

avuncolareHis avuncular advice reassured the nervous interns.
303balkverb
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: balk is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. tirarsi indietro 2. ostacolareTaxpayers may balk at funding a project with no clear budget.
304begetverb
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: beget is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

generareFear can beget secrecy, which in turn creates more fear.
305benefactornoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: benefactor is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. benefattore 2. benefattriceAn anonymous benefactor paid for the library's repairs.
306benevolentadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: benevolent is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

benevoloThe foundation's benevolent mission includes free legal aid.
307bequeathverb
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: bequeath is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. legare 2. lasciare in ereditàThe collector chose to bequeath the paintings to a public museum.
308bereftadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: bereft is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. deprivato 2. orbatoAfter the archive burned, historians were bereft of primary records.
309blasphemynoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: blasphemy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. blasfemia 2. bestemmiaThe novel examines a society in which blasphemy is punished by law.
310blatantadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: blatant is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. appariscente 2. vistoso 3. ovvioThe advertisement made a blatant attempt to disguise sponsorship as news.
311blightnoun
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: blight is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. obliterare 2. rovinaAbandoned buildings became a blight on the neighborhood.
312blitheadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: blithe is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

indifferenteHis blithe assurance ignored every warning from the engineers.
313boorishadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: boorish is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

1. grossolano 2. rozzo 3. zoticoThe guest's boorish interruptions ended the friendly conversation.
314bourgeoisadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: bourgeois is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

borgheseThe playwright mocked what she saw as bourgeois respectability.
315bucolicadjective
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Field: GRE evidence and rhetorical analysis

Word study: Base-form focus: bucolic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context.

bucolicoThe 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

Choose the dictionary equivalent for each of 5 selected words.

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.