The Hardest Tier
These 12 words appear on almost every "hardest GRE words" list โ rare enough that even strong readers often need to look them up.
Practice this set for free โ no account needed. Loads 12 flashcards into the learner.
Practice in the free learnerHow to study this set
These words reward spaced repetition more than any other tier โ they are genuinely rare in everyday reading, so review is the only way most people retain them.
All 12 flashcards
Swap question and answerinscrutable
impossible to understand or interpret
His inscrutable expression gave nothing away.
obfuscate
to make something unclear or difficult to understand, often deliberately
The report seemed designed to obfuscate the real cause of the failure.
parsimonious
extremely unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy
His parsimonious habits meant he rarely bought anything new.
penchant
a strong or habitual liking for something
She has a penchant for old detective novels.
placate
to make someone less angry or hostile
He offered a refund to placate the frustrated customer.
quixotic
extremely idealistic and unrealistic, often in an impractical way
His quixotic plan to reform the entire system had little chance of success.
sanguine
optimistic, especially in a difficult situation
She remained sanguine despite the setbacks.
surreptitious
done secretly or stealthily
He took a surreptitious glance at his phone during the meeting.
tantamount
equivalent in effect or seriousness to something, usually something bad
His silence was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
vociferous
expressing opinions or feelings in a loud and forceful way
The vociferous crowd demanded answers.
laconic
using very few words, terse
His laconic reply left everyone unsure of his actual opinion.
nebulous
unclear, vague, or poorly defined
The proposal remained nebulous even after the meeting.
What to learn next
That completes GRE Vocabulary. SAT Vocabulary, in this same subject, is a good companion set if youโre preparing for multiple exams.