GRE Vocabulary: High-Frequency

• ephemeral

  (adj.) lasting for a very short time Syn: fleeting

  The beauty of the cherry blossoms is ephemeral.

• anomaly

  (n.) something that deviates from the standard or expected Syn: irregularity

  The reading was an anomaly, so they ran the test again.

• austere

  (adj.) severe or plain; without comfort or luxury Syn: stark

  The monks lived in austere stone cells.

• candor

  (n.) the quality of being open and honest Syn: frankness

  She answered the difficult questions with refreshing candor.

• didactic

  (adj.) intended to teach, often with a moral lesson Syn: instructive

  The didactic novel aimed to instruct as much as entertain.

• enervate

  (v.) to drain of energy or vitality Syn: weaken

  The relentless heat enervated the marathon runners.

• fervent

  (adj.) having or showing intense feeling Syn: ardent

  She was a fervent supporter of the new policy.

• disparate

  (adj.) essentially different in kind; not comparable Syn: dissimilar

  The report combined data from many disparate sources.

• homogeneous

  (adj.) of the same kind; uniform throughout Syn: uniform

  The committee was criticized for being too homogeneous.

• impetuous

  (adj.) acting quickly without thought; impulsive Syn: rash

  His impetuous decision to quit surprised everyone.

• juxtaposition

  (n.) the placing of things side by side for contrast Syn: contrast

  The photo's power came from the juxtaposition of old and new.

• idiosyncrasy

  (n.) a distinctive habit or peculiarity of an individual Syn: quirk

  Tapping his pen was one of his harmless idiosyncrasies.

• mitigate

  (v.) to make less severe or serious Syn: alleviate

  Planting trees can help mitigate urban heat.

• nuance

  (n.) a subtle difference in meaning or expression Syn: subtlety

  A good translator captures every nuance of the original.

• obscure

  (adj.) not clearly expressed or known to many Syn: unclear

  The poem alludes to an obscure historical event.

• salient

  (adj.) most noticeable or important Syn: prominent

  She summarized the salient points of the proposal.

• equivocate

  (v.) to use ambiguous language to avoid commitment Syn: hedge

  The official equivocated when asked about the layoffs.

• rhetoric

  (n.) the art of persuasive speaking or writing Syn: oratory

  The candidate's rhetoric energized the crowd.

• paradigm

  (n.) a typical example or model of something Syn: model

  The discovery created a new paradigm in physics.

• tacit

  (adj.) understood without being stated Syn: implied

  There was a tacit agreement to avoid the topic.

• paucity

  (n.) the presence of something in too small an amount Syn: scarcity

  A paucity of data made the conclusion shaky.

• venerable

  (adj.) commanding respect because of age or dignity Syn: esteemed

  The venerable scholar had taught for fifty years.

• ascetic

  (adj.) practicing severe self-discipline and abstention Syn: austere

  He led an ascetic life with few possessions.

• zealot

  (n.) a person who is fanatical about a cause Syn: fanatic

  The reformer was dismissed by critics as a zealot.

• ambivalent

  (adj.) having mixed or contradictory feelings Syn: conflicted

  She felt ambivalent about moving to a new city.

• benign

  (adj.) gentle and harmless; kindly Syn: harmless

  The tumor turned out to be benign.

• ineffable

  (adj.) too great or extreme to be expressed in words Syn: indescribable

  She felt an ineffable joy at the summit.

• diffident

  (adj.) modest or shy due to lack of confidence Syn: timid

  The diffident intern rarely shared his ideas.

• eclectic

  (adj.) deriving ideas or style from many sources Syn: varied

  Her eclectic taste in music spanned every genre.

• dogmatic

  (adj.) asserting opinions in an arrogant, rigid way Syn: opinionated

  His dogmatic stance left no room for discussion.

• gratuitous

  (adj.) uncalled for; without good reason Syn: unwarranted

  The film was criticized for its gratuitous violence.

• hierarchy

  (n.) a system of ranking people or things by status Syn: ranking

  The company has a strict managerial hierarchy.

• innocuous

  (adj.) harmless; not likely to offend Syn: harmless

  What seemed an innocuous remark started a long debate.

• laud

  (v.) to praise highly Syn: extol

  Critics lauded the director's bold new film.

• empirical

  (adj.) based on observation or experiment, not theory Syn: observed

  The claim lacked any empirical evidence.

• novel

  (adj.) new and original; not previously known Syn: innovative

  The team proposed a novel solution to the old problem.

• opaque

  (adj.) not able to be seen through; hard to understand Syn: unclear

  The instructions were so opaque that no one could follow them.

• plethora

  (n.) an excess or overabundance of something Syn: surplus

  The menu offered a plethora of dessert options.

• reticence

  (n.) the quality of being reserved or unwilling to speak Syn: reserve

  His reticence about the merger fueled speculation.

• sanction

  (n.) official approval or a penalty for breaking a rule Syn: authorization

  The trade agreement required government sanction.

• transient

  (adj.) lasting only a short time; temporary Syn: temporary

  The town's population is largely transient in summer.

• vindicate

  (v.) to clear of blame or prove right Syn: exonerate

  New evidence vindicated the accused engineer.

• wane

  (v.) to decrease in size, strength, or intensity Syn: diminish

  Public interest in the scandal began to wane.

• arduous

  (adj.) requiring great effort; difficult Syn: strenuous

  The climb to the summit was long and arduous.

• alleviate

  (v.) to make a problem or suffering less severe Syn: ease

  The new medicine helped alleviate her chronic pain.

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