Must know Vocabulary for GMAT | Verbal for GMAT PDF Download

A strong GMAT vocabulary helps you deal with reading comprehension and sentence correction questions. GMAT does not test your vocabulary directly; however, these words help you ace the GMAT grammar test in the Verbal Section. 

Below are some common words that are listed alphabetically, which you’ll see in instructions, questions, and answer choices on the GMAT, especially in the Verbal section. Sentences with the usage of that particular word are also given to give you a better understanding. 

Words Starting with 'A'

1. Acquisition: the process of getting something

The acquisition of huge amounts of data has helped our research enormously.

2. Adverse: unfavorable

Adverse conditions in the upper atmosphere prevented the shuttle from takeoff.

3. Allegiance: loyalty and support for a ruler, country, group, or belief 

Soldiers must swear allegiance to the Crown/the King. 

4. Allusion: Indirect reference to a person, place, or event to another.

 An allusion to Shakespeare.

5. Anecdote: Simple narration of a single incident.

He told anecdotes about his job.

6. Anomaly: deviation from the normal order, form, or rule, abnormality

There are several anomalies in the present system

7. Arcane: Hard or not possible to comprehend. 

Arcane use of little-known words is frowned upon in contemporary journalism

8. Archaism: The use of words and expressions that have become obsolete in common speech.

Conscious archaisms inspired by French harpsichord music

9. Aspire: To try and achieve a specific goal.

He aspires to become a scientist.

10. Aver: to state as a fact; to confirm or support.

He averred that he was innocent of the allegations

Words Starting with 'B'

1. Benefactor: A person who aids a cause, institution, or person, usually by donating money. 

A benefactor provided equipment to the boys club but preferred to remain anonymous.

2. Bizarre: Entertainingly or unrealistically strange or unusual. 

The wild and exotic animals were a bizarre accompaniment to the dinner party.

3. Bolster: to provide support or reinforcement.

The fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence

4. Bombast / bombastic: self–evident or pompous writing or speech; pompous; grandiloquent.

The bombast of gung-ho militarism

5. Bounty: An amount of money offered to someone in compensation for finding either a criminal or a person the law wants. 

The bounty of the harvest was sampled at the farmer's dinner table.

6. Bulging: to stick out in a round shape 

Her bags were bulging with shopping.

7. Burlesque: An incognito imitation; it imitates the matter or form of a play in an amusing manner.

A novel that is a burlesque of the literary life

8. Buttress: to reinforce or support.

Authority was buttressed by religious belief

Words Starting with 'C'

1. Canon: A principle, standard, or general rule. 

A large canon with metal balls was a monument to the Battle of Waterloo.

2. Capricious: inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable.

It's terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a capricious boss

3. Carding: to ask someone to show you a document, especially an identity card, to prove how old they are 

We were carded at the entrance to the club

4. Censure: to criticize severely; to officially rebuke.

The company was heavily censured by inspectors from the Department of Trade

5. Civic: Pertaining to the government of a town or city. 

The civic interest of community groups always improves neighborhoods and schools.

6. Clandestine: planned or done in secret, especially describing something that is not officially allowed 

She deserved better than these clandestine meetings

7. Confront: to face, meet or deal with a difficult situation or person 

He confronted the robbers as they were trying to leave

8. Culminate: To reach the pinnacle or highest point of development or to bring something to this point.

The film culminated in a thrilling chase scene.  

Words Starting with 'D'

1. Dally: to loiter; to waste time

Please do not dally, or we will miss our appointment.

2. Dank: damp and chilly

The cellar became very dank during the winter time.

3. Dearth: scarcity; shortage

A series of coincidental resignations left the firm with a dearth of talent.

4. Deft: Moving or performing quickly, easily, and cleverly. 

The deft fingering by the violinist increased the enjoyment of the listener.

5. Derogatory: Showing a low attitude or pessimistic criticism. 

Derogatory comments made during the news conference upset the president's staff.  

6. Dwindle: To decrease or diminish gradually in size, quantity, or strength and near zero, or to make something decrease or diminish in this way. 

Water supplies were allowed to dwindle with overuse and were not replenished.

Words Starting with 'E'

1. Employ: to spend time doing something 

The methods they have employed to collect the data

2. Ethos: the set of beliefs, ideas, etc., about social behavior and relationships of a person or group national ethos working-class ethos 

A challenge to the ethos of the 1960s

3. Exhort:  To impel someone strongly and sincerely to perform something. 

The presidential candidate exhorts his supporters to get out and vote.

Words Starting with 'F',

'G' and

'H'

1. Fanatic: A person who has intense and, at times, unreasonable enthusiasms or thoughts. 

Fanatic religious believers are a major force in American politics. 

2. Gullible: Easily duped or tricked because you, the person, tends to trust and have faith in people. 

The gullible young man actually believed the scheme to get cash quickly. 

3. Horrendous: Extremely horrible, scary, or outrageous at to incite horror. 

The horrendous explosion left some dead and many wounded.

4. Hum: A constant dull noise 

The hum of the wheels lulled the child to sleep  

Words Starting with 'I' and

'L'

1. Idealism: A philosophical system or theory that maintains that real is of the nature of thought or that the object of external perception consists of ideas; the pursuit of high noble principles.

The idealism of youth

2. Indignities: a loss of respect or self-respect, or something which causes this lint to suffer the indignity of being called 'Puppy' in front of his girlfriend. 

The indignity of needing financial help

3. Laudable: (of actions and behaviour) deserving praise, even if there is little or no success a laudable aim/ambition 

Laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized

4. Longstanding: having existed for a long time a long-standing agreement 

A long-standing tradition

Words Starting with 'M' and 'O' 

1. Maneuver: To move or make something move with skill 

The ski champion maneuvered his way through a variety of compulsory jumps.

2. Outrageous: describes something or someone shocking because they are unusual or strange outrageous clothes/behavior an outrageous character 

An outrageous act of bribery

Words Starting with 'P'

1. Paltry: low in quality 

She made some paltry excuse and left. 

2. Perceptible: that can be seen, heard or noticed 

A perceptible decline in public confidence 

3. Pivotal: central and important a pivotal figure/role/idea 

Japan's pivotal role in the world economy

4. Positing: to suggest something as a basic fact or principle from which a further idea is formed or developed 

If we posit that wage rises cause inflation, it follows that we should try to minimize them. 

5. Prosody: Systematic study of writing verse (poem); principles in the use of rhyme, stanza etc.

The translator is not obliged to reproduce the prosody of the original

6. Provenance: the place of origin of something jewels of uncertain provenance 

They try to understand the whole universe, its provenance and fate

Words Starting with 'R'

1. Radically: believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change 

You must radically change the way you do business

2. Rhetoric: speech or writing which is intended to be effective and influence people

He is using a common figure of rhetoric, hyperbole 

3. Rearing: the practice of looking after children until they are old enough to look after themselves 

Nigel was born and reared in Bath

Words Starting with 'S',

'T' and 'U' 

1. Supposedly: used to show that you do not believe that something you have been told is true 

There were rumours of a rift between him and his colleagues, supposedly because they were jealous of his relationship with the Duchess

2. Symbol: A word or set of words that signify an object or event that itself signifies something else.

The symbol r in Figure 5 represents an ineffective gene

3. To wiggle: to (cause to) move up and down and/or from side to side with small quick movements 

She wiggled her toes

4. Unwittingly: without knowing or planning

Many users unwittingly expose their details to strangers online