A list of GRE words (packed with synonyms) I prepared based on some criteria to remember:
- Characteristics:
- Courageous: Mettlesome, Plucky, Intrepid (fearless, opp. pusillanimous), Audacious (bold, taking risks)
- Shy: Timorous, Diffident (modest due to lack of self-confidence), Bashful (reluctant to draw attention to oneself) (Reticent fits a reserved person)
- Talkative: Garrulous, Loquacious, Verbose (Gregariousness/Sociable fits a talkative person)
- Laconic: Crisp, Terse, Succinct, Brief/Concise with use of words while expressing oneself (might be reticent, bit secretive but not completely taciturn/quiet)
- Annoying: Nettlesome, Fractious, Irksome, Peevish, or to irk/peeve/rile (annoy)
- Rude: Insolent, Impudent/Impertinent (not showing respect)
- Aggressive: Warlike, Bellicose, Belligerent
- Intelligent/Clever: Scintillating (brilliant), Shrewd, Astute (accurately assess something)
- Stupid: Doltish, Bovine, Glaikit
- Sarcastic: Caustic, Ironic, Satirical, Sardonic, Acerbic (sharp & forthright/direct + outspoken)
- Generous: Munificent, Magnanimous (+ forgiving)
- Wise: Sagacious, Sapient
- Honest: Aboveboard, Veracious, Candid
- Arrogant/Condescending: Supercilious, Haughty
- Irritable: Grumpy, Bilious, Crotchety
- Severe/Strict: Austere, Stern, Dour, Flinty
- Diligent/Careful: Meticulous, Scrupulous, Fastidious, Conscientious
- Cheerful: Ebullient, Jaunty, Exuberant, Buoyant (+optimistic/sanguine)
- Docile: Compliant, Pliant, Submissive, Yielding, Obeyance (opp. Recalcritant)
- Friendly: Amiable, Amicable, Chummy, Convivial (+lively), Congenial (liked on account of having qualities similar to oneself)
- Clumsy: Inept, Maladroit, Cloddish, Blundering, Ham-fisted/handed
- Skilful: Deft, Adroit, Habile, Dexterous, Artful, Nifty
- State:
- Poor: Indigent, Penurious, Destitute, Impecunious, Necessitous (needy)
- Wealthy: Opulent, Affluent, Lavish (luxurious), Well heeled
- Inexperienced: Naive, Callow, Fledgeling, Verdant
- Versatile: Protean, Flexile
- Regret: Remorse, Penitent, Contrite
- Sorrow: Elegiac, Mournful, Doleful
- Peace: Serenity, Tranquility, Halycon, Pacific
- Calmness & Composure under strain: Equanimity, Aplomb, Sangfroid, Phlegmatic, Unflappable
- Happiness: Euphoria, Bliss, Exultant, Exhilaration, Jubilation, Joviality, Mirth
- Harmless: Innocous, Benign (also means generous)
- Respectable: Estimable, Eminent, Illustrious (well-known), Venerable (opp. Derogatory)
- Unable to be calmed: Implacable
- Being late: Tardiness (opp. Punctuality)
- Not revealing one's thoughts readily: Reticent
- Disorder: Tumult, Turmoil, Disarray, Anarchy
- Dissapointment: Crestfallen, Sullen, Bereft (sad due to loss)
- Actions:
- Scold: Upbraid, Chastise, Vituperate, Inveigh, Admonish (warn), Chide (applies to rebuke as well)
- Inveigle: Coax/Persuade (opp. dissuade) someone to do something via flattery/blandishments
- Disapprove: Reprimand, Reproach, Castigate (severely), Stigmatize, Condemn, Rebuke (also applies to severe criticism), Dissonance (disagreement, opp. genial)
- Criticize: Excoriate, Lambast (harshly), Arraign (find fault with), Censure, Condemn, Abase (humiliate, lower), Denigrate (criticize unfairly), Deride (insult)
- Destroy/Eliminate: Obliterate, Exterminate, Extirpate, Expunge, Efface, Scotched (decisively put an end to)
- Assign a lower position: Relegate
- Support: Bolster, Advocate, Buttress
- Hinder: Restrain, Constrain, Impede, Stymie
- Surpise/Astonish: Flabbergast, Bedazzle, Confound, Nonplus
- Excite/Inspire: Galvanize
- Conceal/Disguise: Dissemble, Obscure, Enshroud, Privy
- Object: Demur
- Avoid: Eschew
- Weaken: Enfeeble, Enervate (sap energy), Incapacitate (prevent from functioning)
- Blame: Inculpate (opp. Exculpate - prove not guilty), Indict (accuse formally)
- Shorten: Truncate
- Exclude: Ostracize
- Make someone less angry: Appease, Placate, Pacify, Mollify (soothe), Conciliate, Bromide (statement intended to soothe)
- Make something better: Ameliorate, Mitigate (make less severe)
- Make something worse: Exacerbate
- Emphasize: Underscore, Accent
- Confine against will: Incarcerate, Immure
- Accustom: Attune, Acclimatize, Inure (harden against something by being accustomed)
- Treat like a celebrity: Lionize
- Struggle: Flounder, Flail
- Deny: Repudiate, Gainsay, Decry (speak against)
- Subterfurge: Decieve, Hoax, Hoodwink, Ruse, Chicanery (trickery -> Artifice), Duplicity
- Lie: Prevaricate, Convey a Fib, to Palter or Equivocate (speak vaguely so as to avoid the truth)
- Criticize with anger: Revile, Berate, Vilify (defame, with possible calumny/obloquies/slander)
- Provoking argument/conflict: Contentious, Controversial, Incendiary
- Reject: Abnegate, Spurn (reject with contempt or disdain - feeling that someone is unworthy)
- General:
- Passionate/Enthusiastic: Ardent, Fervid/Fervent, Vehement (feeling)
- Unpredictable: Erratic, Capricious, Mercurial, Temperamental (mood), Volatile (emotion), Whimsical
- A liking towards something: Predilection, Penchant, Affinity
- Educational: Didactic, Pedagogic, Erudite (well-educated/informed)
- Refined: Genteel, Rarefied
- Hatred: Antipathy, Loathe, Abhorrence, Detestation, Animostiy (strong hostility)
- Hasty: Expeditious, Cursory (not detailed due to hastiness)
- Perfunctory: Done without care/interest
- Rash: Reckless, Foolhardy
- Unecessary: Redundant, Superfluous
- Ability to make good judgements: Acumen, Discernment, Shrewdness
- Insightful: Percipient/Perceptive, Perspicacious
- Peculiarity: Idiosyncrasy, Eccentricity, Unorthodox (Unconventional, contrary to what is usual), Freakish (strange)
- Admiration: Infatuated (short-lived, but intense), Besotted, Enamour
- Harmful: Detrimental, Deleterious, Precarious (Dangerous), Inimical (tending to obstruct/harm)
- Scheme: Ploy (clever one), Machinate, Gambit
- Run Down: Dilapidated, Squalid
- Standing out in a negative way: Egregious
- Immoral behaviour: Vice, Iniquity, Depraved, Reprobate
- Full of danger/uncertainity: Parlous, Precarious, Perilous
- Separate: Discrete
- Obvious: Patent, Manifest, Axiomatic (self-evident)
- Unified as a whole: Cohesion
- Incompatible: Irreconcilable, Antithetical, Incongruous, Discordant
- Artifical: Factitious, Feigned (simulated)
- Slow to learn: Obtuse
- Silly/Pointless: Fatuous, Inane, Asinine (extremely foolish), Nugatory (useless, futile)
- Childish: Puerile, Infantile
- Lacking intelligence: Vacuous
- Reluctant/Unwilling: Loath
- Quixotic: Unrealistic, Impractical
- Hard to comprehend: Recondite
- Easy to understand: Lucid, Perspicuous
- Excessively concerned with minor details: Pedantic, Pedantry
- Giving a false representation: Disingenuous
- Describe/Display precisely: Delineate
- Refuse to change own's opinion: Dogmatic (highly opinionated), Obdurate (Stubborn)
- Acting without care: Imprudent, Impetous
- Abundant/Present in Large Quantity: Prolific, Copious, Myriad, Plethora
- A small quantity of something: Modicum, Smidgen, Soupcon
- Excessive indulgence in pleasure: Hedonism, Debauchery, Dissipation
- Dull/Uninteresting: Insipid (+flavorless), Humdrum (monotonous), Lacklustre, Vapid, Jejune
- Dull/Unoriginal: Banal, Trite, Hackneyed, Hacky, Prosaic
- Lacking interest/concern: Apathetic, Indifferent, Pococurante
- Lacking enthusiasm: Lackadaisical, Listless, Lukewarm
- Time related:
- Ancient: Primitive, Hoary
- Belonging to another time/era: Anachronism (chronos: time)
- Short-lived/Temporary: Ephemeral, Transitory/Transient
- Long-lasting/Permanent: Abiding, Enduring, Perennial, Perpetuity
- Occuring at irregular intervals of time: Sporadical
- Occuring everyday: Quotidian, Commonplace (ordinary)
- Lasting for an unknown period of time: Indefinite
- Knowledge of events before time: Prescience, Presentiment, Foresight, Clairvoyance
- Word flow:
- Extant: In existence
- Efficaious: Effective
- Blusquely: Bluntly
- Meander: Wander
- Clemency: Mercy
- Palatable: Acceptable
- Integrity: Probity
- Adjudicate: Judge
- Apposite: Appropriate
- Dishonorable: Ignoble
- Righteousness: Rectitude
- Dispensation: Exemption
- Approbatory: Showing approval
- Verisimilitude: Very similar to reality
- Random:
- Enigma: Mysterious (difficult to interpret)
- Understood by a few (analogous to mysterious): Arcane, Esoteric
- Luck: Serendipity, Providential
- Complex: Byzantine, Convoluted
- Discursive: Tangential
- Cadaverous: Corpse-like
- Mentally productive: Fecund
- Inducing drowsiness: Soporific
- Largesse: Money/Gifts given generously
- Eulogy: Praise someone in their rememberance
- Short Saying: Maxim, Dictum, Apothegm
- Clever statement: Witticism, Quip
- Exaggerated/Embellished/Embroidered statement: Hyperbole, Puffery (praise)
- Unpleasant/Embarrasing/Confusing situation: Predicament, Imbroglio, Quandary (state of perplexed uncertainity)
- Long, Angry/pompous speech: Harangue, Tirade, Diatribe (bitter verbal attack, with possible use of vitriolic language)
- Relating to:
- Clothes: Sartorial
- Beauty: Aesthetics
- Words/Vocabulary: Lexical
- Logic in a language: Semantics (yes, compiler design)
- Type of person:
- Raconteur: Storyteller
- Mendicant: Beggar
- Sycophant: Flatterer
- Proponent: Supporter
- Disciplinarian: Martinet
- Maverick: Radical thinker
- Grumpy/Grouch: Curmudgeon
- Deceiving Cheater: Hustler, Swindler, Con Artist
- Pedant: One who overemphasizes minor rules/details
- Prodigy: Unusual/Extraordinary person (also applies to an event)
- Luminary: One who inspires/influences others
- Philistine: One who is hostile/indifferent to culture
- Misanthropist: One who dislikes humankind & avoids human society
- Vassal: A holder of land by feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance
- Sins:
- Pride: Hauteur & Vanity (both extreme)
- Greed: Avarice & Cupidity (both excessive)
- Gluttony
- Extremely hungry: Ravenous, Voracious
- Envy: Begrudge
- Laziness: Sloth, Indolence
- Lust: Concupiscience, Lechery (offensive)
- Wrath: Outrage, Fury, Destruction induced by ire/spleen/anger