The GRE Verbal Reasoning Test: Challenge Words: Challenge, List 6

This list of challenge words features some of the hardest words that you will encounter in the Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE. These are words that typically appear less frequently across different academic disciplines, so you are less likely to have encountered them before. Master these difficult words and watch your GRE score soar!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apposite
    being of striking appropriateness and pertinence
    Foucault’s maxim is relevant for anyone interested in the arts, but particularly apposite for critics, who are obliged to perceive and reflect quickly, relying on deeply grooved instincts and memories. New York Times (May 24, 2010)
  2. bovine
    dull and slow-moving and stolid
    The Lordsport men gazed on Theon with blank, bovine eyes, and he realized that they did not know who he was. A Clash of Kings
  3. compliant
    disposed to act in accordance with someone's wishes
    She resisted, she was confused, and then, suddenly, something would snap back into place and she was compliant, agreeable. The Book of Unknown Americans
  4. cosmology
    the study of the evolution and structure of the universe
    According to the theory of inflationary cosmology, empty space can spawn other big bangs, creating a vast number of other universes: a multiverse. The Sense of Style
  5. detraction
    a petty disparagement
    Where I think many of the “the Internet is making us stupid” claims get it wrong is that these detractions also apply to other mediums. Scientific American (Sep 11, 2012)
  6. dissonance
    a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters
    The viral response has combined a sudden uptick in civic responsibility with widespread dissonance about how much of it is needed, making the perfect recipe for discord. The Guardian (Oct 2, 2020)
  7. doctrinaire
    stubbornly insistent on theory rather than practicality
    There have been few times in the history of the Supreme Court when its doctrinaire logic was more in need of tempering and practical wisdom. Washington Post (Jun 10, 2022)
  8. grandiloquent
    lofty in style
    In a grandiloquent, newsreel-style voice, the show’s narrator, Westbrook Van Voorhis, began his report: “Today, at the eastern extremity of the state of Pennsylvania, a remarkable construction project is transforming the face of the countryside.” Drama High
  9. halcyon
    idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquility
    His life in Southern California in the 1950s and early '60s sounds in many ways halcyon, full of beach gear and Volkswagen buses and wharf rats and characters with "PhDs in having fun." Los Angeles Times (Jul 16, 2015)
  10. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    Would it come into the world gossiping and nattering on about inconsequential nothings? When Dimple Met Rishi
  11. militate
    have force or influence; bring about an effect or change
    In patrilineal Yoruba societies, where men claimed most positions of political power, women claimed the power of witchcraft to “use that power against the institutions of society” and “militate against … total male dominance.” Time (Apr 25, 2016)
  12. misanthrope
    someone who dislikes people in general
    He was elected over his own objections: He was too impatient with people, he freely admitted, and was basically a misanthrope. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing
  13. pellucid
    transparently clear; easily understandable
    He has done this in a breezy, pellucid manner, with a rare talent for explaining abstruse concepts — say, collateralized debt obligations — so that even I can understand them. New York Times (Oct 8, 2018)
  14. rococo
    having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation
    The cuffs and collars and doublets, and curled and powdered wigs, are perfectly serviceable but could use more rococo ornamentation, with brighter colors, opulent fabrics and jewels. New York Times (Feb 21, 2022)
  15. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    The glass bowl shattered along the circular depression in its middle, leaving me with a jagged sickle of a shard. The City Beautiful
  16. stultify
    deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless
    My father, who won’t let me go to school with a contusion the size of a baseball, has grounded me and banned me from working to stultify my life. Please Ignore Vera Dietz
  17. toady
    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
    Her toadies and allies of convenience are unsure where the power lies now, who best to suck up to. New York Times (Apr 21, 2016)
  18. turgid
    ostentatiously lofty in style
    Was this the only true history of the times, a mood blared by trumpets, trombones, saxophones and drums, a song with turgid, inadequate words? Invisible Man
  19. veracious
    habitually speaking the truth
    Consider the title of his website, a painfully veracious observation on contemporary texting behavior: “sayingsomethingsincerelyandendingitwith.lol.” New York Times (Jan 14, 2022)
  20. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
    The clay was shoveled into one of the pits and water mixed in to form a thick viscous mud. A Single Shard
Created on Wed Nov 30 17:39:15 EST 2022 (updated Thu Jan 12 15:08:36 EST 2023)

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