GRE Word Groups

Learning words in groups is an efficient way of increasing your GRE vocabulary, since the GRE often tests only that you havea general sense of what a word means. Say you saw the following question on the test:

DENOUNCE:

blaspheme acclaim permit gather assist

If you looked denounce up in a dictionary, youd see something like this:

denounce (d-nouns') transitive verb, denounced, denouncing, denounces [Middle English: denouncen, denoun-sen, fr. Latin denoncier, fr. de + nuntiare to report, announce, fr. nuntius messenger] 1. to declare (a person, an idea, behavior, a philosophy) to be censurable or evil; stigmatize or accuse, especially

publicly and indignantly; inveigh against openly 2. archaic to announce in a public, formal and solemn manner: to declare or publish something disastrous 3. to inform against: declare or expose a lawbreaker to the authorities 4.a. obsolete to indicate or portend 4.b. archaic to announce in a warning or threatening manner 5. to proclaim formally and publicly the ending of a treaty or pact 6. Mexican Law to offer for record legal notice of a claim for a mining concession on land held by the govern-

mentSynonym see CRITICIZE

Do you need to know all this to answer the question? Noall you need to know is that denounce means something like crit-icize. And in the time it took you to learn the meaning of denounce from the dictionary, you could have memorized a wholelist of other words that also mean something like criticize (aspersion, belittle, berate, calumny, castigate, decry, defamation, denounce,deride/derisive, diatribe, rebuke, etc.).

And the answer to the above question? Well, that would be drawn from the list of words that mean praise (acclaim, accolade,aggrandize, encomium, eulogize, extol, fawn, laud/laudatory, venerate/veneration, etc.)

GRE Word Groups

This is why learning words in groups is a better general strategy for beefing up your GRE vocabulary than working slowlythrough the dictionary.

Just remember, the categories in which these words are listed are GENERAL and not to be taken for the exact definitions ofthe words.

BOLD

audacious courageous dauntless

CHANGING QUICKLY

capricious mercurial volatile

HESITATE

dither oscillate teeter

vacillate waver

ACT QUICKLY

apace abrupt headlong

impetuous precipitate

INNOCENT/INEXPERIENCED

credulous gullible naive

ingenuous novitiate tyro

DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND

abstruse ambiguous arcane

bemusing cryptic enigmatic

esoteric inscrutable obscure

opaque paradoxical perplexing

recondite turbid

Verbal Reference and Additional Practice

EASY TO UNDERSTAND

articulate cogent eloquent

evident limpid lucid

pellucid

SMART/LEARNED

astute canny erudite

perspicacious

CRITICIZE/CRITICISM

aspersion belittle berate

calumny castigate decry

defamation denounce deride/derisive

diatribe disparage excoriate

gainsay harangue impugn

inveigh lambaste objurgate

obloquy opprobrium pillory

remonstrate rebuke reprehend

reprove revile tirade

vituperate

CAROUSAL

bacchanalian depraved dissipated

iniquity libertine libidinous

licentious reprobate ribald

salacious sordid turpitude

TRUTH

candor/candid fealty frankness

indisputable indubitable legitimate

probity sincere veracious

verity

GRE Word Groups

FALSEHOOD

apocryphal canard chicanery

dissemble duplicity equivocate

erroneous ersatz fallacious

feigned guile mendacious/mendacity

perfidy prevaricate specious

spurious

BITING (AS IN WIT OR TEMPERAMENT)

acerbic acidulous acrimonious

asperity caustic mordacious

mordant trenchant

PRAISE

acclaim accolade aggrandize

encomium eulogize extol

fawn laud/laudatory venerate/veneration

HARMFUL

baleful baneful deleterious

inimical injurious insidious

minatory perfidious pernicious

TIMID/TIMIDITY

craven diffident pusillanimous

recreant timorous trepidation

BORING

banal fatuous hackneyed

insipid mundane pedestrian

platitude prosaic quotidian

trite

WEAKEN

adulterate enervate exacerbate

inhibit obviate stultify

undermine vitiate

Verbal Reference and Additional Practice

ASSIST

abet advocate ancillary

bolster corroborate countenance

espouse mainstay munificent

proponent stalwart sustenance

HOSTILE

antithetic churlish curmudgeon

irascible malevolent misanthropic

truculent vindictive

STUBBORN

implacable inexorable intractable

intransigent obdurate obstinate

recalcitrant refractory renitent

untoward vexing

BEGINNING/YOUNG

burgeoning callow engender

inchoate incipient nascent

GENEROUS/KIND

altruistic beneficent clement

largess magnanimous munificent

philanthropic unstinting

GREEDY

avaricious covetous mercenary

miserly penurious rapacious

venal

TERSE

compendious curt laconic

pithy succinct taciturn

GRE Word Groups

OVERBLOWN/WORDY

bombastic circumlocution garrulous

grandiloquent loquacious periphrastic

prolix rhetoric turgid

verbose

DICTATORIAL

authoritarian dogmatic despotic

hegemonic (hegemony) imperious peremptory

tyrannical

HATRED

abhorrence antagonism anathema

antipathy detestation enmity

loathing malice odium

rancor

BEGINNER/AMATEUR

dilettante fledgling neophyte

novitiate proselyte tyro

LAZY/SLUGGISH

indolent inert lackadaisical

languid lassitude lethargic

phlegmatic quiescent slothful

torpid

PACIFY/SATISFY

ameliorate appease assuage

defer mitigate mollify

placate propitiate satiate

slake soothe

Verbal Reference and Additional Practice

FORGIVE

absolve acquit exculpate

exonerate expiate palliate

redress vindicate

POOR

destitute esurient indigent

impecunious

FAVORING/NOT IMPARTIAL

ardor/ardent doctrinaire fervid

partisan tendentious zealot

DENYING OF SELF

abnegate abstain ascetic

spartan stoic temperate

WALKING ABOUT

ambulatory itinerant peripatetic

INSINCERE

disingenuous dissemble fulsome

ostensible unctuous

PREVENT/OBSTRUCT

discomfit encumber fetter

forfend hinder impede

inhibit occlude

ECCENTRIC/DISSIMILAR

aberrant anachronism anomalous

discrete eclectic esoteric

iconoclast

GRE Word Groups

FUNNY

chortle droll facetious

flippant gibe jocular

levity ludicrous raillery

riposte simper

SORROW

disconsolate doleful dolor

elegiac forlorn lament

lugubrious melancholy morose

plaintive threnody

DISGUSTING/OFFENSIVE

defile fetid invidious

noisome odious putrid

rebarbative

WITHDRAWAL/RETREAT

abeyance abjure abnegation

abortive abrogate decamp

demur recant recidivism

remission renege rescind

retrograde

DEATH/MOURNING

bereave cadaver defunct

demise dolorous elegy

knell lament macabre

moribund obsequies sepulchral

wraith

COPY

counterpart emulate facsimile

factitious paradigm precursor

quintessence simulated vicarious

Verbal Reference and Additional Practice

EQUAL

equitable equity tantamount

UNUSUAL

aberration anomaly iconoclast

idiosyncrasy

WANDERING

discursive expatiate forage

itinerant peregrination peripatetic

sojourn

GAPS/OPENINGS

abatement aperture fissure

hiatus interregnum interstice

lull orifice rent

respite rift

HEALTHY

beneficial salubrious salutary

ABBREVIATED COMMUNICATION

abridge compendium cursory

curtail syllabus synopsis

terse

WISDOM

adage aphorism apothegm

axiom bromide dictum

epigram platitude sententious

truism

FAMILY

conjugal consanguine distaff

endogamous filial fratricide

progenitor scion

GRE Word Groups

NOT A STRAIGHT LINE

askance awry careen

carom circuitous circumvent

gyrate labyrinth meander

oblique serrated sidle

sinuous undulating vortex

INVESTIGATE

appraise ascertain assay

descry peruse

TIME/ORDER/DURATION

anachronism antecede antedate

anterior archaic diurnal

eon ephemeral epoch

fortnight millennium penultimate

synchronous temporal

BAD MOOD

bilious dudgeon irascible

petulant pettish pique

querulous umbrage waspish

EMBARRASS

abash chagrin compunction

contrition diffidence expiate

foible gaucherie rue

HARDHEARTED

asperity baleful dour

fell malevolent mordant

sardonic scathing truculent

vitriolic vituperation

Verbal Reference and Additional Practice

NAG

admonish cavil belabor

enjoin exhort harangue

hector martinet remonstrate

reproof

PREDICT

augur auspice fey

harbinger portentous presage

prescient prognosticate

LUCK

adventitious amulet auspicious

fortuitous kismet nemesis

optimum portentous propitiate

propitious providential talisman

NASTY

fetid noisome noxious

HARSH-SOUNDING

assonance cacophony din

dissonant raucous strident

PLEASANT-SOUNDING

euphonious harmonious melodious

sonorous

GRE Word Groups