The GRE Verbal Reasoning Test: Challenge Words: Challenge, List 10

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. apogee
    a final climactic stage
    Of course, as is typical in Austen, the female protagonist finally achieves her desired marital match -- the apogee of aspirations for young women of the time. Los Angeles Times (Dec 9, 2014)
  2. axiomatic
    evident without proof or argument
    The students nodded, emphatically agreeing with a statement which upwards of sixty-two thousand repetitions in the dark had made them accept, not merely as true, but as axiomatic, self-evident, utterly indisputable. Brave New World
  3. cartography
    the making of maps and charts
    But locating yourself in space has never been cartography’s sole function: like these driftwood pieces, maps inevitably chart how cultures perceive not only their landscapes but their lives. The Guardian (Feb 7, 2017)
  4. contumacious
    willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
    Thompson, Samel, and Swanson, however, are contumacious Alaskans with a special fondness for driving motor vehicles where motor vehicles aren’t really designed to be driven. Into the Wild
  5. euthanasia
    the act of killing someone painlessly
    In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia, allowing doctors to end the lives of patients whose suffering is "unbearable and hopeless" - not just those with terminal illnesses. Seattle Times (Jan 23, 2012)
  6. extrapolate
    draw from specific cases for more general cases
    The researchers did not have enough information to evaluate conservation status for 1507 species so they extrapolated for those, assuming a similar portion are at risk of extinction. Science Magazine (Apr 27, 2022)
  7. hirsute
    having or covered with hair
    As the least hirsute primates, humans have long sought out furred animals — trapping, killing and skinning them — for the purpose of wearing them. New York Times (Jan 31, 2019)
  8. imbroglio
    an intricate and confusing interpersonal situation
    It's a cautionary tale of political feuding as bitter and labyrinthine as the imbroglio embroiling the game's world governing body FIFA. BBC (Jun 17, 2014)
  9. insouciance
    a casual or lighthearted feeling of unconcern
    Some other Americans saw Woodstock as an outrageous display of indulgence and insouciance in a time of war. Seattle Times (Aug 10, 2019)
  10. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    I am mesmerized by their perfect tiny beaks, their creamy clawed feet, and their layered gray feathers that fold together like a beautiful silk fan. The Adoration of Jenna Fox
  11. misanthropic
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    It’s hard not to immediately sympathize with a misanthropic robot — can’t we all understand the desire to just binge-watch TV instead of dealing with people? Los Angeles Times (Nov 22, 2017)
  12. monolithic
    characterized by rigidity and total uniformity
    The scientific community would do well to remember that “the public” is not monolithic—age, race and ethnicity, political viewpoints and levels of education influence people’s opinions. Scientific American (Feb 26, 2018)
  13. nugatory
    of no real value
    Moreover, even for many workers still receiving paychecks, the tax cut would be trivial to the point of being nugatory. Los Angeles Times (May 5, 2020)
  14. odyssey
    a long wandering and eventful journey
    Just getting to school for my first day of ninth grade was a whole new odyssey, involving ninety minutes of nerve-pummeling travel on two different city bus routes as well as a transfer downtown. Becoming
  15. prehensile
    adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object
    With more than 100,000 distinct bundles of muscle fibers, an elephant’s prehensile trunk is just as dexterous as a human or chimpanzee’s hands. Scientific American (Feb 26, 2014)
  16. raconteur
    a person skilled in telling anecdotes
    Organised by the Scottish Storytelling Centre, it puts rambling raconteurs at the heart of the festival spirit. The Guardian (Apr 27, 2013)
  17. renege
    fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
    After the ransom—enough gold to fill a room 22 feet long by 17 feet wide to a height of over 8 feet—was delivered, Pizarro reneged on his promise and executed Atahuallpa. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
  18. sartorial
    of or relating to tailoring or clothing
    Dr. Strayer and Dr. Gazzaley hit it off, even though they seem cut from entirely different cloth, both figuratively, with respect to personality, and literally, in terms of their sartorial choices. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age
  19. supplicant
    one praying humbly for something
    “She’s probably another supplicant,” Cyril said, “come to beg you to take away a gift you gave her at birth.” Ella Enchanted
  20. tautology
    useless repetition
    It’s a tautology, but memes are popular objects, which explains why objects can become memes when they’re popular. The Verge (May 22, 2018)
Created on Wed Nov 30 17:55:12 EST 2022 (updated Thu Jan 12 15:09:11 EST 2023)

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