GRE Premier 2017 with 6 Practice Tests
Part VII. GRE RESOURCES
Appendix A. Kaplan’s Word Groups
The following lists contain a lot of common GRE words grouped together by meaning. Make flashcards from these lists and look over your cards a few times a week from now until the day of the test. Look over the word group lists once or twice a week every week until the test. If you don’t have much time until the exam date, look over your lists more frequently. Then, by the day of the test, you should have a rough idea of what most of the words on your lists mean.
Note: The categories in which these words are listed are general and should not be interpreted as the exact definitions of the words.
A
· Abbreviated Communication
o abridge
o compendium
o cursory
o curtail
o syllabus
o synopsis
o terse
· Act Quickly
o abrupt
o apace
o headlong
o impetuous
o precipitate
· Assist
o abet
o advocate
o ancillary
o bolster
o corroborate
o countenance
o espouse
o mainstay
o munificent
o proponent
o stalwart
o sustenance
B
· Bad Mood
o bilious
o dudgeon
o irascible
o pettish
o petulant
o pique
o querulous
o umbrage
o waspish
· Beginner/Amateur
o dilettante
o fledgling
o neophyte
o novitiate
o proselyte
o tyro
· Beginning/Young
o burgeoning
o callow
o engender
o inchoate
o incipient
o nascent
· Biting (as in wit or temperament)
o acerbic
o acidulous
o acrimonious
o asperity
o caustic
o mordacious
o mordant
o trenchant
· Bold
o audacious
o courageous
o dauntless
· Boring
o banal
fatuous
o hackneyed
o insipid
o mundane
o pedestrian
o platitude
o prosaic
o quotidian
o trite
C
· Carousal
o bacchanalian
o debauchery
o depraved
o dissipated
o iniquity
o libertine
o libidinous
o licentious
o reprobate
o ribald
o salacious
o sordid
o turpitude
· Changing Quickly
o capricious
o mercurial
o volatile
· Copy
o counterpart
o emulate
o facsimile
o factitious
o paradigm
o precursor
o simulate
o vicarious
· Criticize/Criticism
o aspersion
o belittle
o berate
o calumny
o castigate
o decry
o defame/defamation
o denounce
o deride/derisive
o diatribe
o disparage
o excoriate
o gainsay
o harangue
o impugn
o inveigh
o lambaste
o objurgate
o obloquy
o opprobrium
o pillory
o rebuke
o remonstrate
o reprehend
o reprove
o revile
o tirade
o vituperate
D
· Death/Mourning
o bereave
o cadaver
o defunct
o demise
o dolorous
o elegy
o knell
o lament
o macabre
o moribund
o obsequies
o sepulchral
o wraith
· Denying of Self
o abnegate
o abstain
o ascetic
o spartan
o stoic
o temperate
· Dictatorial
o authoritarian
o despotic
o dogmatic
o hegemonic/hegemony
o imperious
o peremptory
o tyrannical
· Difficult to Understand
o abstruse
o ambiguous
o arcane
o bemusing
o cryptic
o enigmatic
o esoteric
o inscrutable
o obscure
o opaque
o paradoxical
o perplexing
o recondite
o turbid
· Disgusting/Offensive
o defile
o fetid
o invidious
o noisome
o odious
o putrid
o rebarbative
E
· Easy to Understand
o articulate
o cogent
o eloquent
o evident
o limpid
o lucid
o pellucid
· Eccentric/Dissimilar
o aberrant
o anachronism
o anomalous
o discrete
o eclectic
o esoteric
o iconoclast
· Embarrass
o abash
o chagrin
o compunction
o contrition
o diffidence
o expiate
o foible
o gaucherie
o rue
· Equal
o equitable
o equity
o tantamount
F
· Falsehood
o apocryphal
o canard
o chicanery
o dissemble
o duplicity
o equivocate
o erroneous
o ersatz
o fallacious
o feigned
o guile
o mendacious/mendacity
o perfidy
o prevaricate
o specious
o spurious
· Family
o conjugal
o consanguine
o distaff
o endogamous
o filial
o fraternal
o fratricide
o progenitor
o scion
o sorority
· Favoring/Not Impartial
o ardent/ardor
o doctrinaire
o fervid
o partisan
o tendentious
o zealot
· Forgive/Make Amends
o absolve
o acquit
o exculpate
o exonerate
o expiate
o palliate
o redress
o vindicate
· Funny
o chortle
o droll
o facetious
o flippant
o gibe
o jocular
o levity
o ludicrous
o raillery
o riposte
G
· Gaps/Openings
o abatement
o aperture
o fissure
o hiatus
o interregnum
o interstice
o lull
o orifice
o rent
o respite
o rift
· Generous/Kind
o altruistic
o beneficent
o clement
o largess
o magnanimous
o munificent
o philanthropic
o unstinting
· Greedy
o avaricious
o covetous
o mercenary
o miserly
o penurious
o rapacious
o venal
H
· Hard-Hearted
o asperity
o baleful
o dour
o fell
o malevolent
o mordant
o sardonic
o scathing
o truculent
o vitriolic
o vituperation
· Harmful
o baleful
o baneful
o deleterious
o inimical
o injurious
o insidious
o minatory
o perfidious
o pernicious
· Harsh-Sounding
o cacophony
o din
o dissonant
o raucous
o strident
· Hatred
o abhorrence
o anathema
o antagonism
o antipathy
o detestation
o enmity
o loathing
o malice
o odium
o rancor
· Healthy
o beneficial
o salubrious
o salutary
· Hesitate
o dither
o oscillate
o teeter
o vacillate
o waver
· Hostile
o antithetic
o churlish
o curmudgeon
o irascible
o malevolent
o misanthropic
o truculent
o vindictive
I
· Innocent/Inexperienced
o credulous
o gullible
o ingenuous
o naive
o novitiate
o tyro
· Insincere
o disingenuous
o dissemble
o fulsome
o ostensible
o unctuous
· Investigate
o appraise
o ascertain
o assay
o descry
o peruse
L
· Lazy/Sluggish
o indolent
o inert
o lackadaisical
o languid
o lassitude
o lethargic
o phlegmatic
o quiescent
o slothful
o torpid
· Luck
o adventitious
o amulet
o auspicious
o fortuitous
o kismet
o portentous
o propitiate
o propitious
o providential
o serendipity
o talisman
N
· Nag
o admonish
o belabor
o cavil
o enjoin
o exhort
o harangue
o hector
o martinet
o remonstrate
o reproof
· Nasty
o fetid
o noisome
o noxious
· Not a Straight Line
o askance
o awry
o careen
o carom
o circuitous
o circumvent
o gyrate
o labyrinth
o meander
o oblique
o serrated
o sidle
o sinuous
o undulating
o vortex
O
· Overblown/Wordy
o bombastic
o circumlocution
o garrulous
o grandiloquent
o loquacious
o periphrastic
o prolix
o rhetoric
o turgid
o verbose
P
· Pacify/Satisfy
o ameliorate
o appease
o assuage
o defer
o mitigate
o mollify
o placate
o propitiate
o satiate
o slake
o soothe
· Pleasant-Sounding
o euphonious
o harmonious
o melodious
o sonorous
· Poor
o esurient
destitute
o impecunious
o indigent
· Praise
o acclaim
o accolade
o aggrandize
o encomium
o eulogize
o extol
o fawn
o laud/laudatory
o venerate/veneration
· Predict
o augur
o auspice
o fey
o harbinger
o portentous
precursor
o presage
o prescient
o prognosticate
· Prevent/Obstruct
o discomfit
o encumber
o fetter
o forfend
o hinder
o impede
o inhibit
o occlude
S
· Smart/Learned
o astute
o canny
o erudite
o perspicacious
· Sorrow
o disconsolate
o doleful
o dolor
o elegiac
o forlorn
o lament
o lugubrious
o melancholy
o morose
o plaintive
o threnody
· Stubborn
o implacable
o inexorable
o intractable
o intransigent
o obdurate
o obstinate
o recalcitrant
o refractory
o renitent
o untoward
o vexing
T
· Terse
o compendious
o curt
o laconic
o pithy
o succinct
o taciturn
· Time/Order/Duration
o anachronism
o antecede
o antedate
o anterior
o archaic
o diurnal
o eon
o ephemeral
o epoch
o fortnight
o millennium
o penultimate
o synchronous
o temporal
· Timid/Timidity
o craven
o diffident
o pusillanimous
o recreant
o timorous
o trepidation
· Truth
o candor/candid
o fealty
o frankness
o indisputable
o indubitable
o legitimate
o probity
o sincere
o veracious
o verity
U
· Unusual
o aberration
o anomaly
o iconoclast
o idiosyncrasy
W
· Walking About
o ambulatory
o itinerant
o meander
o peripatetic
· Wandering
o discursive
o expatiate
o forage
o itinerant
o peregrination
o peripatetic
o sojourn
· Weaken
o adulterate
o enervate
o exacerbate
o inhibit
o obviate
o stultify
o undermine
o vitiate
· Wisdom
o adage
o aphorism
o apothegm
o axiom
o bromide
o dictum
o epigram
o platitude
o sententious
o truism
· Withdrawal/Retreat
o abeyance
o abjure
o abnegation
o abortive
o abrogate
o decamp
o demur
o recant
o recidivism
o remission
o renege
o rescind
o retrograde