Part 2: GRE Saad Vocab - 160+ Hard Section High Frequency List

Question 1

foster

Answer 1

Nurture but real GRE can use it as encouragement or adoption as well.
e.g. “the teacher’s task is to foster learning”

Synonym: promote, encourage, cultivate, nurture

Question 2

heterogeneous

Answer 2

mixed
e.g. “the seating in the hall was a heterogeneous collection of old school desk chairs, wood and metal folding chairs, and even a few plush theater seats”

Synonym: eclectic, varied, mixed, assorted

Question 3

reproach

Answer 3

Disapproval or disappointment but real GRE can also use it as disgrace or blaming someone
e.g. “a letter of reproach was added to her dossier”

Synonym: condemnation, reprimand, censure, rebuke, decry

Question 4

respite

Answer 4

Interval of rest or relief but real GRE can also use it as a period of temporary delay
e.g. “The weekend provided a nice respite from the pressures of her job.”

Synonym: downtime, hiatus, interruption, layoff, letup

Question 5

voluble

Answer 5

Rotating but real GRE can also use it as glib which means fluent but insincere and shallow
e.g. “a voluble game-show host”

Synonym: garrulous. facile

Question 6

intelligible

Answer 6

Capable of being understood
e.g. “speculation on the odds that a communication from a far-off planet would be intelligible”

Synonym: accessible, comprehensible, coherent, scrutable

Question 7

rote

Answer 7

Use of memory usually with little intelligence but real GRE usually uses it as mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition
e.g. “He learned the rote for the exercise warm-up but not the reasoning behind it”

Synonym: routine, grind, rut, drill, groove

Question 8

acute

Answer 8

Delicate but real GRE can use it as keen/sharp and quick
e.g. “dogs, with their acute sense of smell, are used for finding toxic substances undetectable by humans”

Synonym: intense, keen, sharp, subtle

Question 9

circumstantial

Answer 9

it means careful attention to detail but real GRE can also use it as contingent which means empirical (not logically necessary)
e.g. “the circumstantial account of his surgery told us more than we really wanted to know about the stomach”

Synonym: detailed, thorough, full, particularized

Question 10

limpid

Answer 10

Clear and transparent. Real GRE can also use it as something that is untroubled

e.g. “her eyes are the blue of a limpid stream of water”

Question 11

proliferating

Answer 11

to increase in number
e.g. “rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet”

Synonym: expand, burgeon, escalate

Question 12

pedigree

Answer 12

Background history. Real GRE usually uses it with origin
e.g. “a woman from a good pedigree”

Synonym: lineage, ancestry, genealogy, breeding, origin

Question 13

antecedents

Answer 13

Someone or something responsible for a result.
e.g. “what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War?”

Synonym: cause, determinant

Question 14

precursor

Answer 14

predecessor
e.g. “18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics”

Synonym: forerunner, harbinger, symptom, sign

Question 15

novelty

Answer 15

Something new but the real GRE can also use it as unusual
e.g. “the novelty of having a cat wore off after the first time I had to change the litter box”

Synonym: newness, innovation, freshness, originality

Question 16

tedious

Answer 16

tiresome
e.g. “a long and tedious staff meeting”

Synonym: boring, tiring, slow, wearying

Question 17

constrict

Answer 17

to compress or restrict
e.g. “the vessel constricted, thereby reducing the flow of blood”

Synonym: shrink, compress, condense

Question 18

encomiums

Answer 18

Enthusiastic praise or a tribute
e.g. “the encomiums bestowed on a teacher at her retirement ceremonies”

Synonym: accolade, commendation, eulogy, panegyric, praise

Question 19

reprehend

Answer 19

Disapproval/censure but the real GRE can use it as to declare something as morally wrong or evil
e.g. “without exception, book reviewers reprehended the novel’s tired plot”

Synonym: admonish, berate, censure, chide, criticize, denounce, rebuke

Question 20

chimerical

Answer 20

Not real and existing only in imagination (just like you score a 290 on your mock and want a 330 on the real GRE)
e.g. “for the time being, interplanetary travel remains a chimerical feature of life in the 21st century”

Synonym: fantastical, mythic, mythical, fictitious, fictional

Question 21

succinct

Answer 21

Marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning but the real GRE can also use it as ‘abrupt’
e.g. “a pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation”

Synonym: concise, brief, summary, pithy, terse, laconic

Question 22

insular

Answer 22

Not broad or open in views or opinions
e.g. “an insular community that is not receptive of new ideas, especially from outsiders”

Synonym: parochial, circumscribed

Question 23

approbation

Answer 23

An act of approving officially but the real GRE can use it as ‘excessive praise’

e.g. “Congress must approbate the President’s nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court”

Question 24

vituperation

Answer 24

harsh insulting language
e.g. “He was sick of the vituperation coming from ungrateful visitors”

Synonym: abuse, invective, insult, criticism, scurrility, fulmination, vitriol

Question 25

adulation

Answer 25

excessive flattery e.g. "the pathetic adulation of the leader of the cult by her misguided followers" Synonym: blandishment, flattery, sycophancy, worship

Question 26

exorbitance

Answer 26

Propensity for extreme in one’s actions, beliefs or habits and real GRE can use it as deviation from rule, right or property.

Question 27

peril; perilous

Answer 27

Exposure to risk. Real GRE can use it as ‘danger’ or ‘trouble’. e.g. "a perilous journey through hostile territory" Synonym: precarious, unsafe, treacherous, menacing

Question 28

render

Answer 28

To give up. Real GRE can use it as ‘to give in acknowledgement of dependence or obligation: pay’ e.g. "rendered Thomas Jefferson's signature for use on an array of gift items"

Question 29

eviscerate

Answer 29

To clean/disembowel usually used in the context of removing an organ. Real GRE can also use it as depriving of vital content or force. e.g. "the goat had been skinned and neatly eviscerated" Synonym: disembowel, destruction

Question 30

spurring

Answer 30

To incite to action or to stimulate e.g. "governments cut interest rates to spur demand" Synonym: poking, goading, prodding, digging, nudging

Question 31

codifying

Answer 31

To arrange or assign according to type. This is usually used with the word ‘cataloging’. e.g. "They were codifying these ancient cultures according to their political structures" Synonym: systematize, catalogue, systemize, organize

Question 32

shackle

Answer 32

Something that physically prevents free movement. This is usually used with the word ‘stifle' e.g. "unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house" Synonym: stifle, bind, handcuff

Question 33

enliven

Answer 33

To give life, action, or spirit to: animate e.g. "in most instances it's a good idea to enliven a speech with a joke or two" Synonym: animate, stimulate, invigorate, energize

Question 34

symbiosis

Answer 34

A cooperative relationship between two dissimilar organisms e.g. "The two artists, each with their own style, share a symbiosis that enriches both their individual and collaborative work." Synonym: mutualism, alliance

Question 35

stasis

Answer 35

A state of static balance or equilibrium: stagnation. This word is usually used with the word ‘inertia' e.g. "for the time being, the populations of the national park's predators and prey remain in stasis" Synonym: inertia

Question 36

espoused

Answer 36

To become attached to. Real GRE can also use it as ‘marry’. e.g. "heeded his father's advice to espouse someone with whom he had common interests" Synonym: marry, conjugal

Question 37

eschewed

Answer 37

To avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds: shun. e.g. "the minister eschews involvement in local politics, since he doesn't want to diminish his moral authority in the community" Synonym: avoid, eluded, abandon, renounce

Question 38

derided

Answer 38

To ridicule or mock someone. It is usually used with the word ‘lambaste’ e.g. "my brothers derided our efforts, but were forced to eat their words when we won first place" Synonym: disdain, disparage, mock, ridicule, scorn

Question 39

bedrock

Answer 39

Basis/foundation. Real GRE can also use it as the ‘lowest point’. e.g. "my religious faith is the bedrock of my life" Synonym: cornerstone / depth, abyss

Question 40

utilitarian

Answer 40

Designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive e.g. "She found his theories utilitarian in constructing her own" Synonym: functional, sensible, pragmatic

Question 41

index

Answer 41

An arrow shaped piece on a dial or scale for registering information. Real GRE can also use it as indicating something or as ‘a measure of’. e.g. "the index on the thermometer dropped below zero" Synonym: indicator

Question 42

diatribe

Answer 42

Abusive speech. Real GRE can also use it as ironic or satirical criticism. It’s usually paired with the word ‘rant’ e.g. "he was forced to sit through a long diatribe after he came home late once too often" Synonym: harangue, tirade, jeremiad

Question 43

disquisition

Answer 43

A systematic search for the truth or facts about something e.g. "nothing can kill a radio show quicker than a disquisition on intertextual analysis" Synonym: dissertation, treatise

Question 44

malfeasance

Answer 44

misbehavior or fraud e.g. "a campaign to impeach the governor for malfeasance in office" Synonym: misconduct, wrongdoing, crime, misbehavior

Question 45

hysteria

Answer 45

Wildly excited activity or emotion. Real GRE can also use it as uproar or agitation e.g. "the hysteria of the mother when she realized that she had lost her four-year-old son in the crowd" Synonym: frenzy, rampage, rage, delirium, amok

Question 46

pathos

Answer 46

An emotion of sympathetic pity e.g. "the actor injects his customary humour and pathos into the role" Synonym: emotion, passion, poignancy

Question 47

lucubration

Answer 47

intensive study e.g. "The "gentlemen of the police and the gendarmerie" shrugged their shoulders and paid no attention to this lucubration." Synonym: application, attention, examination

Question 48

polarized

Answer 48

to unify or unite

Question 49

reparation

Answer 49

Remuneration (payment to another for a loss or injury) e.g. "the courts required a convicted offender to make financial reparation to his victim" Synonym: compensation, restitution, indemnity, remuneration

Question 50

denunciation

Answer 50

Public or formal expression of disapproval. It is usually paired with the word indictments. e.g. "the official denunciation of the congresswoman's actions before the full house" Synonym: indictment, accusation, censure, denouncement

Question 51

stratify

Answer 51

to divide or arrange into classes, castes or social strata. It is usually paired with the word hierarchical e.g. "El Niño brings surface heat from the west, and stratifies the ocean layers" Synonym: hierarchical

Question 52

extenuated

Answer 52

To mitigate or making something less worse REAL GRE uses this word as to make something seem less bad by offering excuses. e.g. "even the fact that you once helped to save my life could not extenuate your offence" Synonym: excuse, justify, explain, palliate

Question 53

downplay

Answer 53

to reduce in importance e.g. "he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success" Synonym: understate, underplay, denigrate, disparage

Question 54

provocative

Answer 54

To provoke, excite or stimulate. It is usually paired with the word ‘incite’ on the real GRE. e.g. "a provocative editorial that sparked a heated discussion" Synonym: incite, stimulate

Question 55

countenance

Answer 55

To extend approval or toleration to. Usually paired with the word ‘sanction’ on real GRE e.g. "They countenanced the delays and inconveniences of traveling by air with good grace" Synonym: tolerate, accept, endure

Question 56

indeterminacy

Answer 56

Vague or not known in advance e.g. "an indeterminate number of people" Synonym: erroneous, vague

Question 57

pacific

Answer 57

peaceful. Usually paired with the word dovish on real GRE e.g. "as a pacific gesture, we invited our feuding neighbors to our backyard barbecue" Synonym: dovish, irenic, placate

Question 58

indolent

Answer 58

lethargic and lazy e.g. "they were indolent and addicted to a life of pleasure" Synonym: lazy, idle, slothful

Question 59

austere

Answer 59

Simple and morally strict e.g. "he was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook" Synonym: strict, authoritarian, rigorous, stern, severe

Question 60

erroneous

Answer 60

Mistaken or real GRE can also use it as ‘wandering’. e.g. "a poorly researched news article about the new virus that was filled with much erroneous information" Synonym: spurious, distorted, inaccurate

Question 61

delusive

Answer 61

Deceiving. Usually paired with the word specious on real GRE e.g. "delusive promises of high-paying jobs for low-skilled workers" Synonym: specious, misleading, deceptive, false, deceitful

Question 62

relic

Answer 62

Relic: Shadow/trace. Usually paired with the word ‘vestige’ on the real GRE. e.g. "a crude stone ax and other relics of the Neanderthals" Synonym: artifact, trace, remnant, vestige

Question 63

ephemeral

Answer 63

short-lived e.g. "the autumnal blaze of colors is always to be treasured, all the more so because it is so ephemeral" Synonym: temporary, brief, transient, fleeting, evanescent

Question 64

oracular

Answer 64

a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions e.g. "he holds forth in oracular fashion" Synonym: prescient, predictive, prophetic

Question 65

prophetic

Answer 65

predictive e.g. "his warnings proved prophetic" Synonym: prescient, predictive, oracular

Question 66

mirthful

Answer 66

Good humor. Usually paired with the word ‘jovial’. e.g. "the mirthful laughter of old teammates telling lame jokes and ribald stories" Synonym: jovial, gleeful, jolly

Question 67

tepid

Answer 67

Lacking energy. Real GRE can use it as showing little or no interest/enthusiasm. e.g. "the proposed table tennis club met with only a tepid response" Synonym: lukewarm, disinterested, indifferent, apathetic

Question 68

inherent

Answer 68

Within. Usually paired with the word ‘intrinsic’. e.g. "an inherent concept of justice" Synonym: intrinsic, integral, innate, hereditary

Question 69

strenuous

Answer 69

Energetic and real GRE can use it as ‘aggressive’. e.g. "parents who voiced strenuous objections to the new textbooks" Synonym: arduous, demanding, exhausting, laborious

Question 70

subjective

Answer 70

Unique or particular and real GRE can use it as ‘technical’ e.g. "even seemingly unbiased judges are influenced by their own subjective assumptions and interpretations of the law"

Question 71

fastidious

Answer 71

Demanding or hard to please e.g. "he is very fastidious about how he arranges his music collection, and woe to anyone who dares to mess around with it" Synonym: finicky, fussy, squeamish

Question 72

puerile

Answer 72

Babyish or immature e.g. "told the teenagers that such puerile behavior would not be tolerated during the ceremony" Synonym: juvenile, infantile, jejune, petulant

Question 73

paradigm

Answer 73

pattern e.g. "The thesis paper provides a new paradigm for educational practices" Synonym: example, principle, model, prototype, archetype

Question 74

antagonistic

Answer 74

Marked by ill will and is paired with the word adversarial on the real GRE. e.g. "countries that have been antagonistic towards each other for centuries" Synonym: adversarial, antipathy, hostile

Question 75

dichotomous

Answer 75

Two opposing groups and is paired with the word contradictory on the real GRE. e.g. "She urged people to resist falling into the dichotomous thinking about the nature of independence." Synonym: paradox, contradictory

Question 76

subversive

Answer 76

destruction e.g. "A subversive organization determined to unseat a leader who they believed operated outside the law" Synonym: violent, revolutionary, radical, provocative

Question 77

trifling

Answer 77

Unimportant and is paired with the word minimal on the real GRE. e.g. "deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter" Synonym: minor, nugatory, slight, trivial

Question 78

momentous

Answer 78

Important and is paired with the word significant on the real GRE. e.g. "a momentous occasion that will go down in the history books" Synonym: significant, monumental

Question 79

oust

Answer 79

Force someone to leave a place and is paired with the word forcing out on the real GRE. e.g. "she was ousted from her job after it was proven she'd been pilfering company supplies" Synonym: eject, out, expel, evict

Question 80

professed

Answer 80

open and freely acknowledged and is paired with the word proclaimed on the real GRE. e.g. "he professed his innocence to anyone who would listen" Synonym: proclaimed, acknowledged, pledged, avowed

Question 81

antediluvian

Answer 81

Ancient or old and is paired with the word archaic on the real GRE e.g. "found evidence in the Middle East of an antediluvian people previously unknown to history" Synonym: archaic, medieval, prehistoric

Question 82

flighty

Answer 82

Lacking stability and is paired with the word capriciousness on the real GRE e.g. "You have to be quiet while the deer are grazing, as they are flighty animals and will run if they hear you" Synonym: capricious, mercurial, volatile

Question 83

discern

Answer 83

to recognize as separate and is paired with detect/discovered on the real GRE. e.g. "too young to discern between right and wrong" Synonym: detect, discovered, anticipate, ascertain

Question 84

envisage

Answer 84

To have a mental picture of and is paired with conjure up on the real GRE e.g. "the Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers" Synonym: envisioned, visualize, conjure up, predict, prescience

Question 85

pugnacious

Answer 85

Someone who fights/quarrels and is paired with the word truculent on the real GRE e.g. "his public statements became increasingly pugnacious" Synonym: belligerent, bellicose, warlike

Question 86

clandestine

Answer 86

Secretive and is paired with the word surreptitious/Furtive on the real GRE e.g. "I took a clandestine peek at the price tag on the diamond necklace" Synonym: covert, furtive, surreptitious

Question 87

stave off

Answer 87

Delay something bad or dangerous and is paired with the word forestall/obviate/preclude on the real GRE e.g. "He managed to stave off the invaders" Synonym: withstand, repel, repulse

Question 88

prosaic

Answer 88

Dull and is paired with the word vapid/banal/hackneyed/insipid/commonplace/unexceptional/mundane/pedestrian on the real GRE e.g. "an author with a knack for finding something of interest in the most prosaic details of suburban life" Synonym: vapid, banal, hackneyed, insipid, commonplace, unexceptional, mundane, pedestrian

Question 89

knotty

Answer 89

Difficult to understand and is paired with the word complicated/labyrinthine on the real GRE e.g. "the knotty problems that arise when every nation is part of the global marketplace" Synonym: complicated, labyrinthine, abstruse, convoluted, baroque

Question 90

extraneous

Answer 90

Not relevant and is paired with the word irrelevant on the real GRE. e.g. "the architect's streamlined modern style shuns any sort of extraneous ornamentation" Synonym: irrelevant, extrinsic

Question 91

engender

Answer 91

Produce and is paired with the word yield on the real GRE. e.g. "a suggestion to go out for pizza that didn't seem to engender any interest" Synonym: arouse, beget, breed, bring about, foment

Question 92

interdependent

Answer 92

Will be paired with interrelated on the real GRE e.g. "interdependent feedback loop is likely to increase in the future with the introduction of autonomous agents." Synonym: interconnection, interrelated, linkage

Question 93

impair

Answer 93

Less than perfect condition and is paired with undermined on the real GRE e.g. "already impaired by a crack, the windshield shattered upon impact with the baseball" Synonym: damage, diminish, weaken, impede, hinder, mar, spoil

Question 94

abound

Answer 94

To be present in large quantities and is paired with proliferate on the real GRE e.g. "a city that abounds with art museums and private galleries" Synonym: proliferate, teem, copious

Question 95

coalesce

Answer 95

To unite and is paired with conjugate/collect on real GRE. e.g. "several small townships have coalesced into a single metropolis" Synonym: conjugate, polarize, collect, consolidate, amalgamate

Question 96

paragon

Answer 96

A model of excellence/perfection and is paired with exemplar on the real GRE. e.g. "in Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad is depicted as the one knight who is a paragon of virtue" Synonym: epitome, incarnation, exemplar, pinnacle

Question 97

nettlesome

Answer 97

Irritating and is paired with vexation on the real GRE e.g. "a few nettlesome details that still required attention" Synonym: irritating, vexation, exasperating, irksome

Question 98

incontrovertible

Answer 98

not capable of being challenged or proved wrong Will be paired with indisputable on the real GRE e.g. "incontrovertible facts that left the jury with no choice but to convict" Synonym: irrefutable, indisputable, conclusive, unquestionable, indubitable, irrefragable

Question 99

palpable

Answer 99

Capable of being touched or felt and will be paired with tangible on the real GRE. e.g. "a small but palpable lump in my neck" Synonym: tangible

Question 100

a liberation from

Answer 100

freedom Will be paired with a rejection of on the real GRE e.g. "the liberation of the slaves was one of the key results of the Civil War" Synonym: rejection, emancipation

Question 101

delighted in

Answer 101

Pleasure and will be paired with relished on the real GRE e.g. "we're delighted to meet you finally" Synonym: relished, gratified

Question 102

exactitude

Answer 102

Attention to detail and will be paired with meticulousness on the real GRE e.g. "after its opening weekend, a movie's final box office gross can be estimated with considerable exactitude" Synonym: accuracy, precision, preciseness, perfection

Question 103

eminence

Answer 103

the fact or state of being above others in rank or importance Will be paired with superiority on the real GRE e.g. "the eminence of the Nobel Prize in the field of awards and prizes" Synonym: dominance, superiority, glory, repute, supremacy

Question 104

unimpeachable

Answer 104

Reliable beyond a doubt and will be paired with blameless on the real GRE e.g. "The information is from an unimpeachable source." Synonym: blameless, honorable, ethical, honest, noble, unassailable, irreproachable

Question 105

unassuming

Answer 105

not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness Will be paired with modest on the real GRE e.g. "a talented but surprisingly unassuming musician" Synonym: modest, meek, humble, unpretentious

Question 106

idealistic

Answer 106

will be paired with quixotic on the real GRE e.g. "idealistic pacifists who thought that tyranny could be toppled by rational argument and mutual understanding" Synonym: quixotic, utopian, impractical

Question 107

seditious

Answer 107

causing people to rebel and will be paired with provocative/incite e.g. "several dissidents were jailed for leading protests that the government branded as seditious" Synonym: incite, provocative, inflammatory

Question 108

untether

Answer 108

free from and is usually used with the word ‘divorced’ e.g. "I reached the horses and untethered them" Synonym: divorced, untie, unbind