Advanced Vocabulary Words

Challenging vocabulary primarily tested on the GRE. These sophisticated words distinguish high scorers and are essential for graduate-level reading and Text Completion questions.

2321 words · Page 9 of 39

comeuppance GRE

Retribution or punishment deserved for wrongdoing.

commandeer GRE

To seize or take control of something, especially for military or official use.

commandment GRE

A religious rule or moral directive, especially one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible.

commencement GRE

The beginning of something; also, a ceremony marking the end of an academic program.

commendable GRE

Worthy of praise or approval.

commensurate GRE

Corresponding in size, degree, or extent; proportional.

commiserate GRE

To express sympathy or sadness about someone else's misfortune.

commiseration GRE

An expression of sympathy with someone who is suffering.

compassion GRE

Sympathetic concern for the suffering or misfortune of others.

compassionate GRE

Showing kindness and concern for others who are suffering.

complacency GRE

A feeling of contentment that often prevents awareness of potential dangers or problems.

complaisant SAT GRE

Willing to please or agreeable, often to an excessive degree.

compliance GRE

The act of obeying a rule, request, or law, or conforming to a standard.

compliant SAT GRE

Meeting rules or standards; willing to conform to requests or rules.

composite GRE

Made up of various distinct elements; a mixture.

compulsion SAT GRE

A strong uncontrollable urge to do something; the state of being forced to do something.

compulsive GRE

Resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge; often difficult to control.

con GRE

A disadvantage or drawback; also, short for confidence trick or a person involved in deception.

conceited GRE

Ostentatiously proud of oneself; vain or egotistical.

conciliatory SAT GRE

Intended to placate or restore goodwill; making or willing to make concessions.

concoction GRE

A mixture of various ingredients; a bizarre or fanciful plan or story.

concussion SAT GRE

A traumatic brain injury caused by a violent blow or shaking of the head.

condescend SAT GRE

To appear to treat someone as inferior; to act in a patronizing manner.

condescension GRE

An attitude of superiority or patronizing behavior toward others.

confrontation GRE

A hostile or argumentative meeting or situation between opposing parties.

congregation GRE

An assembly of people for religious worship, or any gathering of individuals.

congruent GRE

Corresponding in character or type, or geometrically identical in shape and size.

conjugal SAT GRE

Relating to the relationship between a married couple.

conjure GRE

To cause something to appear unexpectedly or as if by magic; to evoke or summon mentally.

conservatory SAT GRE

A greenhouse for growing and displaying plants, or a school specializing in music or drama.

consign SAT GRE

To send or hand over something to a person or place, often for sale or safekeeping.

consolation GRE

Comfort given in times of distress or disappointment.

consolidate SAT GRE

To combine or unite into a more effective or coherent whole.

conspirator SAT GRE

A person who takes part in a conspiracy with others.

conspire SAT GRE

To secretly plan or act with others to do something harmful or illegal.

contend GRE

To struggle or compete to overcome something; to assert or maintain in argument.

contentious GRE

Causing or likely to cause disagreement or argument.

continence SAT GRE

The ability to control the excretion of urine and feces. Also used to mean self-restraint, particula...

contingent SAT GRE

Dependent on certain conditions; not guaranteed.

contrived GRE

Deliberately created in a way that seems artificial or insincere.

controvert GRE

To dispute or argue against a claim or idea.

contusion SAT GRE

A bruise caused by a blow that ruptures blood vessels without breaking the skin.

conundrum GRE

A confusing or difficult problem that is hard to solve.

convalesce SAT GRE

To recover from illness, injury, or surgery.

convene SAT GRE

To come together or assemble for a formal or official purpose.

convertible SAT GRE

Capable of being changed in form, function, or character; often used to describe a car with a roof t...

convoke GRE

To call together to a meeting or assembly, especially an official or formal one.

convoluted GRE

Extremely complex and difficult to follow; intricately coiled or twisted.

convoy SAT GRE

A group of vehicles traveling together for safety, often with military or police protection.

convulsion SAT GRE

A violent, involuntary muscular contraction; a sudden upheaval or disturbance.

coquette SAT GRE

A woman who flirts habitually without serious intentions.

cordon GRE

A line of people or barriers enclosing an area for security or control.

cornucopia SAT GRE

A symbol of abundance, often represented as a horn overflowing with food; a large supply of somethin...

corny GRE

Old-fashioned or tacky in a way that is unintentionally funny; clichéd.

corollary SAT GRE

A direct consequence or result that follows from a theorem or fact.

coronation SAT GRE

The ceremony of crowning a monarch, marking their formal accession to the throne.

corporate SAT GRE

Belonging to or representing a large company or group; collective as a whole.

corpus GRE

A large collection of written or spoken texts used for linguistic analysis; a body of evidence or ma...

corral GRE

A fenced enclosure for confining livestock; to gather and confine people or animals.

correlation GRE

A statistical relationship between two variables where changes in one are associated with changes in...

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