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 answerimpossible to understand or interpret
inscrutable
His inscrutable expression gave nothing away.
to make something unclear or difficult to understand, often deliberately
obfuscate
The report seemed designed to obfuscate the real cause of the failure.
extremely unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy
parsimonious
His parsimonious habits meant he rarely bought anything new.
a strong or habitual liking for something
penchant
She has a penchant for old detective novels.
to make someone less angry or hostile
placate
He offered a refund to placate the frustrated customer.
extremely idealistic and unrealistic, often in an impractical way
quixotic
His quixotic plan to reform the entire system had little chance of success.
optimistic, especially in a difficult situation
sanguine
She remained sanguine despite the setbacks.
done secretly or stealthily
surreptitious
He took a surreptitious glance at his phone during the meeting.
equivalent in effect or seriousness to something, usually something bad
tantamount
His silence was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
expressing opinions or feelings in a loud and forceful way
vociferous
The vociferous crowd demanded answers.
using very few words, terse
laconic
His laconic reply left everyone unsure of his actual opinion.
unclear, vague, or poorly defined
nebulous
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.