Introduction
GMAT Vocabulary is a collection of most frequently recurring words in the GMAT tests. GMAT Vocabulary is a good resource for individuals working towards enhancing their vocabulary and desiring a satisfied GMAT score. The GMAT vocabulary lists are always very resourceful in mastering English language and communication skills.
GMAT does not test the candidates directly on vocabulary words. However, to obtain a good score in the verbal section, the GMAT vocabulary list is a splendid read.
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuate (Verb) | Put into motion |
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The lack of sufficient money for the project actuated him to apply for a bank loan to make up the deficiency. |
| Adjudicate (Verb) | Make a formal judgement on a disputed matter. |
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We asked him to adjudicate at the local flower show. |
| Arbitration (Noun) | Giving authoritative judgment |
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Tayside Regional Council called for arbitration to settle the dispute. |
| Annulment (Noun) | The act of abrogating; an official or legal cancellation. |
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The applicant sought the annulment of the decision. |
| Assertion (Noun) | A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief. |
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His assertion that his father had deserted the family. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefactor (Noun) | A gift giver |
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A low-interest loan from a benefactor allowed them to build a floor for the exhibition hall. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clientele (Noun) | One's customers |
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Since the bank was located on the outskirts of the city, its clientele primarily consisted of villagers living in nearby villages. |
| Contention (Noun) | Heated disagreement |
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The captured territory was the main area of contention between the two countries. | Collusion (Noun) | Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy in order to deceive others. |
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The armed forces were working in collusion with drug traffickers. |
| Condemnation (Noun) |
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There was strong international condemnation of the attack. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dastard (Noun) | A dis-honourable or despicable man. |
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The villain of the story is a dastard indeed. |
| Decomposition (Noun) | The state or process of rotting; decay. |
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The decomposition of organic waste. |
| Degrade (Verb) | Treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect. |
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She thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women. |
| Demented (Adj) | Behaving irrationally due to anger, distress, or excitement. |
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The wild, crazy way in which the old man behaved with others suggested that he had probably become demented and was a case fit for a psychiatrist. |
| Demise (Noun) | A person's death. |
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Professor Dinkar's demise at this critical time has come as a big loss to our college, which had not yet recovered from the Principal's death. |
| Despise (Verb) | A strong dislike |
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Mrs. Liberty really despised the restrictions put on her freedom by her orthodox husband, who never relished the idea of women going out. |
| Disarm (Verb) | Make friendly. |
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His tact and political skills will disarm critics. |
| Douse (Verb) | Drench |
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The police report said that the victim was doused with petrol all over his body before being set afire by the violent mob. |
| Drawn (Verb) | Tense. |
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Cathy was pale and drawn and she looked tired out. |
| Dupe (Verb) | One who is easily deceived or used, to deceive or trick. |
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Since Mauji Nath has already been duped by these fly-by-night operators several times, he is not ready to touch these schemes even with a barge pole. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eminent (Adj) | Standing above. |
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One of the world's most eminent statisticians. |
| Entity (Noun) | A complete thing. |
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The Lok Dal became a separate political entity once it was recognized as an independent political party by the Election Commission. |
| Episode (Noun) | Incident |
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The entire episode of the US furiously searching for Osama bin Laden exemplifies the fact that it has acted only when its own house was set on fire. |
| Expedite (Verb) | Hasten |
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He promised to expedite economic reforms. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fanatic (Noun) | A person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause. |
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It is the religious fanatics who interpret religion in a narrow sense, and are eager to create communal trouble. |
| Fantasy (Noun) | Illusion. |
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His researches had moved into the realms of fantasy. |
| Fauna (Noun) | Animal life |
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The toxic wastes released by the factory into the river are playing havoc with the fauna flourishing in the river-only last week there were reports of many fish and other aquatic animals dying due to excessive pollution. |
| Feline (Adjective) | Relating to or affecting cats or other members of the cat family. |
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Walking stealthily is one of the major feline traits, while being able to sense even the slightest sound is the exclusive preserve of dogs. |
| Fiat (Noun) |
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The High Court has issued a fiat to attach his property in the event of his failure to pay up the fine prescribed by it. |
| Florescent (Adj) | Blooming. |
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The florescent plants withered in the month of March and we will have new flowers only in October. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grave (Noun) | A hole dug in the ground to receive a coffin or dead body, typically marked by a stone or mound. |
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I shall never recommend this course of action, at least in your case, as it is beset with grave dangers. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honorarium (Noun) | A Payment. |
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The NGO being a non-profit organization, could not afford to give him a decent salary; what all they could give him was a small honorarium in recognition of his services. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ignite (Verb) | To set afire. |
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Furniture can give off lethal fumes when it ignites. |
| Impel (Verb) | Drive, force, or urge (someone) to do something. |
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Financial difficulties impelled him to desperate measures. |
| Imperative (Adj) | Requirement |
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The bell pealed again, a final imperative call. |
| Infrequent (Adj) |
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His not-so-infrequent foreign visits, which belie his claim that he did not enough money even to travel in India, must have resulted in so many entries on his passport. |
| Inference (Noun) | A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. |
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Researchers are entrusted with drawing inferences from the data. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juggernaut (Noun) | A huge, powerful, and overwhelming force. |
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The juggernaut of public expenditure. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Leech (Noun) | parasite. |
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They are leeches feeding off the hard-working majority. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Minute (Noun) | A period of time equal to sixty seconds or a sixtieth of an hour. |
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Even a minute particle of dust in the engine can lead to an explosion in the launch of a rocket. |
| Momentous (Adj) | Of great importance or significance, especially in having a bearing on future events. |
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A period of momentous changes in East–West relations. |
| Monologue (Noun) | A long speech by one actor in a play or film, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast programme. |
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He was reciting some of the great monologues of Shakespeare. |
| Maintain (Verb) | Cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue. |
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The need to maintain close links between industry and schools. |
| Mitigate (Verb) | Make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful. |
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Drainage schemes have helped to mitigate this problem. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Nocturnal (Adj) | Done at night. |
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Most owls are nocturnal. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oblivious (Adj) | Not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one. |
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She became absorbed, oblivious to the passage of time. |
| Opiate (Adj) | Relating to, resembling, or containing opium. |
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The use of opiate drugs. |
| Ordinance (Noun) | An authoritative order. |
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His strict observance of religious ordinances was no doubt quickened by the remorse he felt. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Parochial (Adj) | Relating to a Church parish. |
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The parochial church council. |
| Paucity (Noun) | The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts. |
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A paucity of information. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Quarantine (Noun) | A state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed. |
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Many animals die in quarantine. |
| Quench (Verb) | Satisfy (one's thirst) by drinking. |
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Firemen hauled on hoses in a desperate bid to quench the flames. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Radical (Adj) | (Especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough. |
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A radical overhaul of the existing regulatory framework. |
| Recompense (Verb) |
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Offenders should recompense their victims. |
| Recover (Verb) | Return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. |
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Neil is still recovering from shock. |
| Regimen (Noun) | A prescribed course of medical treatment, diet, or exercise for the promotion or restoration of health. |
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A regimen of one or two injections per day. | |
| Reinforce (Verb) | Strengthen or support (an object or substance), especially with additional material. |
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The helmet has been reinforced with a double layer of cork. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Scamper (Verb) | To go quickly. |
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As soon as the news of a fire on the third floor spread, the workers scampered down the stairs in haste. |
| Scheme (Noun) | A large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect. |
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The occupational sick pay scheme. |
| Sibling (Noun) |
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The birth of a sibling is a stressful event in the life of a child. |
| Simile (Noun) | An explicit comparison. |
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His audacious deployment of simile and metaphor. |
| Situate (Verb) | Fix or build (something) in a certain place or position. |
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The pilot light is usually situated at the front of the boiler. |
| Smug (Adj) | Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements. |
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He was feeling smug after his win. |
| Snatch (Verb) | Quickly seize (something) in a rude or eager way. |
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She snatched a biscuit from the plate. |
| Sobriety (Noun) | The state of being sober. |
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The price of beer compelled me to maintain a certain level of sobriety |
| Speculative (Adj) | Engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge. |
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The bonuses cannot be put at risk due to some speculative investment. |
| Stout (Adj) | Short and fat |
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Billy had armed himself with a stout stick. |
| Suborn (Verb) | Bribe or otherwise induce (someone) to commit an unlawful act such as perjury. |
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He was accused of conspiring to suborn witnesses. | |
| Succor (Noun) | Assistance and support in times of hardship and distress. |
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The wounded had little chance of succor. |
| Sufficient (Adj) |
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He had a small private income which was sufficient for her needs. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Tact (Noun) | Skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues. |
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The inspector broke the news to me with tact and consideration. |
| Temper (Noun) | A person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm. |
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He rushed out in a very bad temper. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Utterance (Noun) | A spoken word, statement, or vocal sound. |
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He whispered, as if to lend his utterances an added confidentiality. |
| Undermine (Verb) | Erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation). |
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The flow of water had undermined pillars supporting the roof. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Vouch (Verb) | Assert or confirm as a result of one's own experience the truth or accuracy of (something). |
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The explosive used is of my own formulation, and I can vouch for its efficiency. |
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
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| Warranted (Verb) | Justify or necessitate (a course of action). |
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The employees feel that industrial action is warranted. |