List 12
1. Acrimonious (ak-ri-MOH-nee-uhs)
Meaning: Bitter and sharp in language or tone.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone eating a lemon dipped in acid and angrily complaining—it’s an acrimonious rant!
Sentence:
The debate became so acrimonious that the moderator had to step in.
2. Belligerent (buh-LIJ-er-uhnt)
Meaning: Argumentative, threatening, or aggressive.
Mnemonic:
Think of a bell that keeps ringing aggressively, like it’s ready to pick a fight—it’s belligerent!
Sentence:
Her belligerent attitude made it hard to have a peaceful discussion.
3. Beneficent (buh-NEF-uh-suhnt)
Meaning: Kind and charitable; producing good results.
Mnemonic:
Picture Santa’s benevolent fist giving gifts to everyone—he’s beneficent!
Sentence:
The organization’s beneficent efforts have helped countless families.
4. Canny (KAN-ee)
Meaning: Shrewd and cautious.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a canny granny carefully counting her coins—she’s wise and cautious.
Sentence:
He made a canny investment that brought great returns.
5. Cavalier (kav-uh-LEER)
Meaning: Exhibiting an overly casual attitude; unconcerned.
Mnemonic:
Picture a knight on a horse (cavalry) casually scrolling on his phone during battle—so cavalier!
Sentence:
Her cavalier attitude toward deadlines frustrated her coworkers.
6. Distressed (di-STREST)
Meaning: Experiencing nervousness, irritation, or sadness.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone wearing a torn (distressed) jeans while crying—it’s a bad day.
Sentence:
She felt distressed after hearing about the accident.
7. Dwindling (DWIN-dling)
Meaning: Decreasing steadily in size or quantity.
Mnemonic:
Think of a candle dwindling as it burns down to a tiny wick.
Sentence:
The forest’s wildlife population has been dwindling due to habitat destruction.
8. Eclipse (ih-KLIPS)
Meaning: To overshadow or surpass.
Mnemonic:
Think of the moon during an eclipse, stealing the sun’s spotlight—it eclipses it!
Sentence:
Her achievements completely eclipsed those of her competitors.
9. Encyclopedic (en-sy-klo-PEE-dik)
Meaning: Thorough; comprehensive in scope.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone with an encyclopedia for a brain, knowing everything!
Sentence:
His encyclopedic knowledge of history impressed everyone.
10. Exacerbate (ig-ZAS-er-bayt)
Meaning: To make a situation or condition worse.
Mnemonic:
Pouring gasoline on a small fire only exacerbates the blaze.
Sentence:
The heavy rain exacerbated the flooding in the area.
11. Exasperated (ig-ZAS-per-ay-tid)
Meaning: Severely irritated or angry.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone trying to open a jar, getting so exasperated that they explode with frustration!
Sentence:
She was exasperated by the constant noise outside her window.
12. Fungible (FUN-juh-buhl)
Meaning: Interchangeable for another item of a similar type.
Mnemonic:
Imagine you have a fungi collection where all mushrooms look the same—they’re fungible!
Sentence:
In the world of finance, cash is fungible; you can exchange one dollar for another.
13. Hackneyed (HAK-neez)
Meaning: Lacking creativity; derivative and overused.
Mnemonic:
Think of an overused hackney carriage (old, worn-out taxi) going nowhere new—it’s hackneyed!
Sentence:
The movie was filled with hackneyed clichés that made it predictable.
14. Incongruous (in-KON-groo-uhs)
Meaning: Out of place; lacking harmony.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a penguin wearing a tuxedo at a beach party—it’s so incongruous!
Sentence:
His casual attitude seemed incongruous in such a formal setting.
15. Interchangeable (in-ter-CHAIN-juh-buhl)
Meaning: Capable of being used in place of each other.
Mnemonic:
Think of socks that are identical in every way—they’re interchangeable!
Sentence:
The two models were so similar that their parts were interchangeable.
16. Laconic (luh-KON-ik)
Meaning: Economical with words; quiet and reserved.
Mnemonic:
Picture a person who only says “LAC” (short for “lack of words”)—they’re very laconic!
Sentence:
His laconic response made it hard to tell how he was feeling.
17. Lucrative (LOO-kruh-tiv)
Meaning: Producing a significant amount of money.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a loose crate of cash falling into your lap—it’s a lucrative opportunity!
Sentence:
She landed a lucrative job offer that doubled her salary.
18. Magisterial (ma-JIS-teer-ee-uhl)
Meaning: 1. Possessing great authority; 2. Exercising authority in an excessive manner.
Mnemonic:
Picture a magician (magisterial) who commands the crowd with a wave of his hand—it’s magisterial!
Sentence:
The principal’s magisterial demeanor made the students follow his every command.
19. Onerous (OH-nuh-ruhs)
Meaning: Involving a heavy burden; challenging or difficult.
Mnemonic:
Imagine carrying an onerous onion that keeps getting heavier the more you peel it—it’s a tough job!
Sentence:
The project’s requirements were so onerous that many team members felt overwhelmed.
20. Opprobrium (uh-PROH-bree-uhm)
Meaning: Severe criticism or public shame.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone receiving oprah’s harsh criticism on TV—it’s opprobrium!
Sentence:
The politician faced opprobrium after the scandal was revealed.
21. Parsimonious (par-suh-MOH-nee-uhs)
Meaning: Extremely frugal or stingy.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a parrot clutching onto its last coin and refusing to spend it—how parsimonious!
Sentence:
The parsimonious businessman refused to donate to charity, even during the holidays.
22. Peripheral (puh-RIF-er-uhl)
Meaning: Of marginal importance; minor.
Mnemonic:
Think of a peripheral character in a movie who only appears in the background, doing nothing important!
Sentence:
The issue of office decor was peripheral to the main discussion about productivity.
23. Provocative (pruh-VOK-uh-tiv)
Meaning: Causing outrage or irritation, often intentionally.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone poking a provoke-able bear with a stick—it’s intentionally provocative!
Sentence:
His provocative comments about politics sparked an intense debate.
24. Renounce (ri-NOUNS)
Meaning: To reject or give up.
Mnemonic:
Think of someone renouncing their crown in a dramatic fashion—“I give up, no more!”
Sentence:
He decided to renounce his title after the controversy surrounding it.
25. Tempestuous (tem-PES-choo-uhs)
Meaning: 1. (of emotions or actions) Unrestrained and turbulent; 2. (of weather) Extremely stormy.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a tempest (storm) inside a tuscan, as if everything is going out of control—tempestuous!
Sentence:
The relationship was marked by tempestuous arguments and passionate reconciliations.
26. Tenable (TEN-uh-buhl)
Meaning: (of an idea or method) Justifiable and rational.
Mnemonic:
Picture a tennis player holding a strong racket—her defense is tenable!
Sentence:
His argument was well thought-out and tenable, so everyone agreed.
27. Transgression (trans-GREH-shun)
Meaning: A violation of a law, rule, or social norm.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone crossing a trans-atlantic boundary without permission—it’s a transgression!
Sentence:
His transgression against company policy led to his dismissal.
28. Urbane (ur-BAYN)
Meaning: Refined, sophisticated, and courteous.
Mnemonic:
Picture a urbane gentleman, with a monocle and top hat, offering a courteous bow.
Sentence:
The urbane host welcomed everyone with charm and grace.
29. Verisimilitude (ver-uh-sim-uh-LIT-ood)
Meaning: Appearance or semblance of truth or reality; believability.
Mnemonic:
Think of a very similar (veri-similar) story that seems too real to be fiction—it has verisimilitude!
Sentence:
The novel’s verisimilitude was so convincing that readers believed it was based on real events.
30. Vitiate (VIT-ee-ayt)
Meaning: To impair or corrupt the quality of something.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a vicious monster vitiating a perfectly good piece of cake—it’s ruining the quality!
Sentence:
The company’s poor management vitiated the project, causing delays and confusion.
Story Mode
Biography Using GRE Words
In a tempestuous era of social upheaval, Charles Grayson was an urbane journalist who navigated the challenges of his time with grace and canny strategy. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of politics and his laconic but impactful writing style, he often eclipsed his contemporaries in the newsroom.
Despite his beneficent intentions to expose corruption, his provocative articles occasionally led to acrimonious exchanges with politicians. Some accused him of being belligerent, though he always maintained that his critiques were tenable and grounded in truth.
Grayson was not without flaws. His colleagues often found his dismissive attitude toward minor tasks cavalier, but his ability to tackle onerous investigations redeemed him. He once uncovered a major corporate transgression, which brought both praise and opprobrium from different sectors of society.
Over time, however, the pressures of his work began to dwindle his energy. The hackneyed bureaucratic processes within his organization only served to exacerbate his frustration. Yet, even in moments of distress, he refused to renounce his mission for justice.
In his later years, Charles focused on mentoring young journalists, encouraging them to be parsimonious with their words but bold in their ideas. His legacy remains a shining example of how resilience and integrity can thrive even amidst a vitiated social fabric. His life story, full of verisimilitude, continues to inspire new generations of writers to fight for truth and justice.