GRE Vocabulary Set
Abate (verb)
Meaning: Decrease in intensity, reduce or lessen
Examples:
- The storm finally abated after midnight.
- Her anger abated once she heard the explanation.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
A-bate = “A little bit.”
Everything becomes a bit less.
🎯 GRE Tip: Usually used with pain, fear, anger, storm, tension, noise, inflation.
Abjure (verb)
Meaning:
- Reject
- To formally or completely give up
- renounce a belief, habit, or claim
Examples:
- He abjured smoking after the diagnosis.
- The prince abjured his claim to the throne.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“I adjure you… I QUIT!”
Imagine dramatically throwing cigarettes into a volcano.
🎯 GRE Tip: Stronger than “quit.” Often formal or public.
Anomalous (adjective)
Meaning: Abnormal or Unusual; different from what is expected.
Examples:
- The scientist noticed an anomalous result.
- His behavior was anomalous that day.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Anomaly” in games = weird bug.
🎯 GRE Tip: Usually describes exceptions to a pattern.
Antipathy (noun)
Meaning: Strong dislike or hatred.
Examples:
- She has an antipathy toward dishonesty.
- His antipathy for spiders is obvious.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Anti + Pathy = Against feelings.
🎯 GRE Tip: Don’t confuse with apathy (lack of emotion).
Arcane (adjective)
Meaning: Known by only a few; mysterious.
Examples:
- The book contains arcane rituals.
- Only experts understand the arcane terminology.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Imagine Harry Potter learning arcane magic.
🎯 GRE Tip: Often describes specialized knowledge.
Arduous (adjective)
Meaning: Extremely difficult and tiring.
Examples:
- Climbing Everest is arduous.
- They completed the arduous journey.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Hard → Arduous.
Sounds like “hard to do.”
🎯 GRE Tip: Often modifies task, journey, work, process.
Artless (adjective)
Meaning: Simple, innocent, without deceit.
Examples:
- The child gave an artless smile.
- His artless honesty impressed everyone.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
No “art” of lying.
🎯 GRE Tip: Can also mean plain or unsophisticated.
Ascetic (adjective / noun)
Meaning: Living a life without luxury or pleasure.
Examples:
- The monk lived an ascetic life.
- He became an ascetic after retiring.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Imagine a monk rejecting pizza.
🎯 GRE Tip: Closely related to austere.
Assuage (verb)
Meaning: To relieve or make less severe.
Examples:
- The medicine assuaged her pain.
- His apology assuaged her fears.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Massage” almost sounds like assuage.
Massage relieves pain.
🎯 GRE Tip: Common collocations: fear, anger, pain, anxiety, concerns.
Betray (verb)
Meaning: To be disloyal or unintentionally reveal.
Examples:
- His smile betrayed his nervousness.
- She betrayed her best friend.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Be-tray.”
You throw your friend into a tray 😂
🎯 GRE Tip: GRE loves the “reveal” meaning.
Bucolic (adjective)
Meaning: Peaceful countryside.
Examples:
- They enjoyed the bucolic scenery.
- She dreamed of a bucolic life.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Cow eating grass peacefully.
🎯 GRE Tip: More poetic than simply “rural.”
Burgeon (verb)
Meaning: Grow rapidly.
Examples:
- The startup burgeoned into a large company.
- His confidence burgeoned.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Burger gets bigger 🍔
🎯 GRE Tip: Often appears as burgeoning industry.
Cacophonous (adjective)
Meaning: Harsh and unpleasant sounding.
Examples:
- The traffic was cacophonous.
- The classroom became cacophonous.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Caca + phone = terrible phone ringtone.
🎯 GRE Tip: Opposite: euphonious.
Canonize (verb)
Meaning: To officially declare someone a saint; to greatly honor.
Examples:
- The church canonized the nun.
- Fans have canonized the legendary coach.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Giving someone a giant golden trophy forever.
🎯 GRE Tip: Can also mean making someone legendary.
Censure (verb / noun)
Meaning: Strong official criticism.
Examples:
- The senator was censured.
- The report received severe censure.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Censure” sounds like “sensor.”
The government officially scolds you.
🎯 GRE Tip: Don’t confuse with censor.
Chicanery (noun)
Meaning: Deception through trickery.
Examples:
- The contract involved legal chicanery.
- Investors lost money because of financial chicanery.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Chicken wearing a lawyer suit.
🎯 GRE Tip: Often appears in politics, law, business.
Coalesce (verb)
Meaning: Merge together.
Examples:
- The companies coalesced.
- Different ideas coalesced into one plan.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Coal pieces melting into one giant coal.
🎯 GRE Tip: Often used for groups, ideas, movements.
Cogent (adjective)
Meaning: Clear and convincing.
Examples:
- She gave a cogent argument.
- His explanation was cogent.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Cogs fit perfectly.
The logic fits together.
🎯 GRE Tip: Almost always describes arguments.
Compelling (adjective)
Meaning: Extremely convincing or interesting.
Examples:
- The evidence was compelling.
- It was a compelling novel.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Can’t stop watching Netflix.
🎯 GRE Tip: Can mean convincing OR fascinating.
Contend (verb)
Meaning: To argue or compete.
Examples:
- He contended that the law was unfair.
- Several teams contended for the title.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Tennis players “contend.”
🎯 GRE Tip: Two meanings: argue OR compete.
Copious (adjective)
Meaning: Large in quantity.
Examples:
- She took copious notes.
- They produced copious amounts of data.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Coffee pouring forever ☕
🎯 GRE Tip: Common with: notes, evidence, data, tears.
Cosmopolitan (adjective)
Meaning: International and culturally diverse.
Examples:
- Dubai is a cosmopolitan city.
- She has a cosmopolitan outlook.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Everyone in one Starbucks.
🎯 GRE Tip: Not just “big city”—diverse cultures.
Deference (noun)
Meaning: Respectful submission.
Examples:
- He acted with deference to his teacher.
- She bowed in deference.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Dear reference.”
You respect your reference.
🎯 GRE Tip: Usually followed by to.
Desultory (adjective)
Meaning: Lacking a clear plan; random.
Examples:
- His studying was desultory.
- They had a desultory conversation.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Studying by opening random pages.
🎯 GRE Tip: Means unfocused.
Diffident (adjective)
Meaning: Lacking confidence.
Examples:
- She was diffident during the interview.
- His diffident manner surprised us.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Different → shy.
🎯 GRE Tip: Not arrogant.
Dilatory (adjective)
Meaning: Slow because of delay.
Examples:
- His dilatory tactics frustrated everyone.
- The company was dilatory in responding.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Delay-tory.”
🎯 GRE Tip: Almost always negative.
Equivocate (verb)
Meaning: Speak ambiguously to avoid commitment.
Examples:
- The politician equivocated.
- Stop equivocating and answer.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
“Maybe… sort of… kinda…”
🎯 GRE Tip: Different from lying. It’s avoiding a direct answer.
Polarize (verb)
Meaning: Divide into opposite groups.
Examples:
- The issue polarized voters.
- Social media often polarizes society.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
North Pole vs South Pole.
🎯 GRE Tip: Often used with politics.
Prodigal (adjective)
Meaning: Wastefully extravagant.
Examples:
- His prodigal spending caused debt.
- She was prodigal with money.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
The Prodigal Son spent everything.
🎯 GRE Tip: Don’t confuse with prodigy.
Verbose (adjective)
Meaning: Using too many words.
Examples:
- His report was verbose.
- She gave a verbose explanation.
🧠 Funny Mnemonic:
Imagine someone taking 30 minutes to answer “How are you?”
🎯 GRE Tip: Opposite: concise, succinct, terse.