GRE Word Families

WORD FAMILIES

CRITICIZE/CRITICISM or BLAME

Aspersion Calumny Defamation Diatribe Gainsay Inveigh Obloquy Remonstrate Reprove Vituperate Belittle Castigate Censure Denounce Disparage Harangue Lambaste Opprobrium Rebuke Revile Berate Decry Deride/Derisive Excoriate Impugn Objurgate Pillory Reprehend Tirade Rant Denigrate Slur Libel Invective Chastise Reprimand Reproof Sully Vilify Tarnish Chide Defile Scathing

FALSEHOOD

YOUNG/BEGINNER/AMATEUR

Apocryphal Dissemble Erroneous Feigned Perfidy Spurious Canard Duplicity Ersatz Guile Prevaricate Chicanery Equivocate Fallacious Mendacious/Mendacity Specious Factitious Burgeoning Inchoate Callow Incipient Engender Nascent Dilettante Novitiate Fledgling Proselyte Neophyte Tyro

BOLD

Audacious Courageous Dauntless Intrepid Plucky Gutsy Indomitable Gallant

Changing / Not permanent

Capricious Mercurial Volatile Fickle Ephemeral Evanescent Whimsical Erratic Quirky Transitory Transient

HESITATE

Dither Vacillate Oscillate Waver Teeter

ACT QUICKLY

Apace Impetuous Abrupt Precipitate Headlong

INNOCENT/INEXPERIENCED

Credulous Ingenuous Gullible Naive

DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND

Abstruse Bemusing Esoteric Opaque Recondite Cryptic Inscrutable Turbid Arcane Enigmatic Obscure Perplexing Arcane

EASY TO UNDERSTAND

Articulate Evident Pellucid Cogent Limpid Eloquent Lucid

SMART/LEARNED

CAROUSAL -drunkenly festive; sin, evil act

TRUTH

BITING (As in wit or temperament) -sarcastic, harsh, rough

Astute Perspicacious Canny Erudite Sagacious Incisive Judicious Bacchanalian Iniquity Licentious Salacious Depraved Libertine Reprobate Sordid Dissipated Libidinous Ribald Turpitude Insidious Lewd Bawdy Decadent Degenerate

Candor/Candid Indisputable Probity Verity Fealty Indubitable Sincere Frankness Legitimate Veracious

Acerbic Asperity Mordant Acidulous Caustic Trenchant Acrimonious Mordacious Curmudgeon

PRAISE

HARMFUL

Acclaim Encomium Fawn Accolade Eulogize Laud/Laudatory Aggrandize Extol Venerate/Veneration

Baleful Inimical Minatory Baneful Injurious Perfidious Deleterious Insidious Pernicious Malicious

TIMID/TIMIDITY

Craven Recreant Diffident Timorous Pusillanimous Trepidation Apostate(deserter)

BORING

Banal Insipid Platitude Trite Fatuous Mundane Prosaic Hackneyed Pedestrian Quotidian

WEAKEN

Adulterate Inhibit Undermine Enervate Obviate Vitiate Exacerbate Stultify

ASSIST

Abet Bolster Espouse Proponent Advocate Corroborate Mainstay Ancillary Countenance Munificent Sustenance

HOSTILE

Antithetic Irascible Truculent Churlish Malevolent Vindictive Misanthropic

STUBBORN

Implacable Intransigent Recalcitrant Untoward Inexorable Obdurate Refractory Vexing Intractable Obstinate Renitent

GENEROUS/KIND

Altruistic Largess Philanthropic Beneficent Magnanimous Unstinting Clement Munificent

GREEDY

Avaricious Miserly Venal Covetous Penurious Mercenary Rapacious

TERSE -concise, brief

Compendious Pithy Curt Succinct Laconic Taciturn

OVERBLOWN/WORDY

Bombastic Grandiloquent Prolix Verbose Circumlocution Loquacious Rhetoric Garrulous Periphrastic Turgid

DICTATORIAL

Authoritarian Hegemonic (hegemony) Tyrannical Dogmatic Imperious Despotic Peremptory

HATRED

Abhorrence Antipathy Loathing Rancor Antagonism Detestation Malice Anathema Enmity Odium

LAZY/SLUGGISH

Indolent Languid Phlegmatic Torpid Inert Lassitude Quiescent Lackadaisical Lethargic Slothful

PACIFY/SATISFY

Ameliorate Defer Placate Slake Appease Mitigate Propitiate Soothe Assuage Mollify Satiate

FORGIVE

Absolve Exonerate Redress Acquit Expiate Vindicate Exculpate Palliate

POOR

Destitute Impecunious Esurient Indigent

FAVORING/NOT IMPARTIAL

Ardor/Ardent Partisan Doctrinaire Tendentious Fervid Zealot

DENYING OF SELF

Abnegate Spartan Abstain Stoic Ascetic Temperate

WALKING ABOUT

INSINCERE

Ambulatory Itinerant Peripatetic

Disingenuous (Ingenuous=innocent/ inexperienced) Ostensible Dissemble Unctuous Fulsome Factitious (artificial) Bogus

PREVENT/OBSTRUCT

Discomfit Forfend Inhibit Encumber Hinder Occlude Fetter Impede

ECCENTRIC/DISSIMILAR

Aberrant Discrete Iconoclast Anachronism Eclectic Anomalous Esoteric

FUNNY

Chortle Flippant Levity Riposte Droll Gibe Ludicrous Simper Facetious Jocular Raillery

SORROW

Disconsolate Elegiac Lugubrious Plaintive Doleful Forlorn Melancholy Threnody (death/mourning) Dolor Lament (death/mourning) Morose

WITHDRAWAL/RETREAT

Abeyance Abortive Demur Remission Retrograde Abjure Abrogate Recant Renege Abnegation Decamp Recidivism Rescind

DEATH/MOURNING

Bereave Demise Knell Moribund Wraith Cadaver Dolorous Lament (sorrow) Obsequies Threnody (sorrow) Defunct Elegy Macabre Sepulchral

COPY

Counterpart Quintessence Emulate Paradigm (archetype/prototype) Simulated Facsimile Precursor

EQUAL

Equitable Equity Tantamount

UNUSUAL

Aberration (eccentric/dissimilar) Idiosyncrasy Anomaly (eccentric/dissimilar) Iconoclast (eccentric/dissimilar)

WANDERING

Discursive Itinerant (walking about) Sojourn Expatiate Peregrination Forage Peripatetic (walking about)

GAPS/OPENINGS

Abatement Hiatus Lull Respite Aperture Interregnum Orifice Rift Fissure Interstice Rent

HEALTHY

Beneficial Salubrious Salutary Wholesome

ABBREVIATED COMMUNICATION

Abridge Curtail Terse Compendium Syllabus Cursory Synopsis

WISE SAYING

Adage Axiom Epigram Truism Aphorism Bromide Platitude Apothegm Dictum Sententious

FAMILY

Conjugal Endogamous Progenitor Consanguine Filial Scion Distaff Fratricide

CURVE/ TWIST/NOT STRAIGHT

Askance Carom Gyrate Oblique Sinuous Awry Circuitous Labyrinth Serrated Undulating Careen Circumvent Meander Sidle Vortex

INVESTIGATE

Appraise Descry Ascertain Peruse Assay

TIME/ORDER/DURATION

Anachronism Anterior Eon Fortnight Synchronous Antecede Archaic Ephemeral Millennium Temporal Antedate Diurnal Epoch Penultimate

BAD MOOD

Bilious Petulant Querulous Dudgeon Pettish Umbrage Irascible Pique Waspish

EMBARRASS

Abash Vex Mortify Chagrin Gaucherie

NAG/ COMPLAIN

Badger Enjoin Hector Reproof Cavil Exhort Martinet Belabor Harangue (criticize) Remonstrate (criticize) Bicker Curmudgeon Killjoy

PREDICT

Augur Harbinger Prescient Auspice Portentous Prognosticate Fey Presage Clairvoyant Diviner Soothsayer Oracle Bode

Foretell Prophetic

LUCK

Adventitious Fortuitous Propitious Amulet (charm) Kismet Portentous Providential Auspicious Propitiate Talisman (charm)

FOUL/ FILTHY/ DISGUSTING

Fetid (disgusting/offensive) Noisome (disgusting/offensive) Noxious Rank Squalid Putrid Rebarbative Fetid Odious Invidious Putrid

HARSH-SOUNDING/ NOISE

Assonance Dissonant Cacophony Raucous Din Strident Pandemonium Bedlam

PLEASANT-SOUNDING

FLATTERY

Euphonious Sonorous Harmonious Melodious Dulcet

Sycophant Toady Fawn Servile Cajole Fulsome