GMAT vocabulary: data, quantity and measurement.

Exist in great numbers; be plentiful

Theories abound about the cause of the mass extinction, but few are supported by fossil evidence.

Memory cueWhen rabbits abound, they seem to bounce everywhere in great numbers.

Existing in large quantities; plentiful

Archaeological sites in the region are abundant, suggesting a thriving civilization once inhabited the valley.

Memory cueAn abundant harvest fills many baskets and still leaves more.

An area of land, typically measured in acres

The disputed acreage along the border became the flashpoint for a decades-long territorial conflict.

Memory cueAcreage measures how many acre-sized squares cover a piece of land.

Including or covering everything or everyone; comprehensive to the highest degree

The historian's all-encompassing study of the Roman Empire spans politics, economics, religion, and daily life.

Memory cueAn all-encompassing circle stretches around everything, leaving nothing outside.

To make a problem or suffering less severe; to relieve

International aid organizations rushed supplies to the region in an effort to alleviate the famine's worst effects.

Memory cueA lever lifting a burden makes its weight lighter: alleviate.

Without a clearly defined shape or form; vague and unorganized

The committee's goals remained amorphous, lacking any concrete plan of action.

Memory cueAn amorphous blob has no clearly defined shape.

Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring

The arduous trek through the mountain pass tested even the most experienced members of the expedition.

Memory cuePushing a boulder uphill is arduous: difficult, tiring, and demanding great effort.

Surprisingly impressive or notable; shocking

The telescope revealed an astounding number of previously unknown galaxies in a single patch of sky.

Memory cueAstounding news makes you stop, stare, and stand stunned.

The act of achieving or reaching a goal or level

Her attainment of fluency in four languages by age twenty opened doors in the diplomatic corps.

Memory cueAttainment is reaching up and finally touching the chosen goal.

Made greater in size, extent, or quality; supplemented

The orchestra's sound was augmented by a chorus of sixty voices for the finale of the symphony.

Memory cueAn augmented orchestra grows greater when extra musicians join it.

To support, strengthen, or reinforce

The senator cited three new studies to bolster her argument for increased funding in early childhood education.

Memory cueBolster a weak wall by adding a thick supporting beam.

Combining in such a way as to enhance or improve each other; completing

The two researchers brought complementary skills to the project—one excelled in theory, the other in laboratory technique.

Memory cueComplementary puzzle pieces are different, but fit together to improve and complete the picture.

Added to in a way that enhances or improves

The historian's archival research was complemented by extensive fieldwork at the archaeological site.

Memory cueThe right frame complemented the painting by enhancing what was already there.

Following as a result or effect; important, significant

The ruling was the most consequential Supreme Court decision on privacy rights in over a decade.

Memory cueA consequential choice sends important effects cascading into the future.

Severely restricted the scope, extent, or activity of; compelled or forced

Limited funding constrained the researchers to a much smaller sample size than they had originally planned.

Memory cueConstrained movement strains against tight limits that restrict its range.

Abundant in supply or quantity; plentiful

The biographer drew on copious correspondence between the two writers to reconstruct their intellectual friendship.

Memory cueA copious supply overflows every available container.

Reduced in extent or quantity; cut short

Civil liberties were curtailed during the wartime emergency, a decision that historians continue to debate.

Memory cueScissors cut a long ribbon short; its length or extent has been curtailed.

Settling an issue; producing a definite result; conclusive

The battle proved decisive, ending a conflict that had dragged on for nearly a decade.

Memory cueA decisive gavel quickly ends debate and produces one definite result.

Tending to cause harm; damaging

Chronic sleep deprivation has been shown to be detrimental to both cognitive function and cardiovascular health.

Memory cueA detrimental chemical visibly damages the plant it touches.

Highly destructive; causing severe shock, distress, or damage

The hurricane's devastating impact on the coastal communities took years and billions of dollars to repair.

Memory cueA devastating blow leaves severe destruction and emotional shock behind.

Essentially different in kind; markedly distinct

The study attempted to synthesize findings from disparate fields, including neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology.

Memory cueDisparate objects belong in separate boxes because they differ essentially in kind.

Outstandingly bad; shocking; remarkably terrible

The report highlighted the most egregious violations of environmental regulations.

Memory cueAn egregious error flashes an alarm because it is shockingly bad.

Famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession; outstanding

The conference attracted eminent scholars from universities around the world.

Memory cueAn eminent scholar stands out through respected, outstanding achievement.

Made a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse; aggravated

The housing crisis was exacerbated by speculative investment that drove prices far beyond what local families could afford.

Memory cueScratching exacerbated the rash by making an already bad condition worse.

Making great demands on one's skill, attention, or resources; rigorously precise

Restoring a Renaissance fresco is an exacting process that demands years of specialized training.

Memory cueAn exacting task demands exact attention, skill, and precision.

A statement that represents something as better or worse than it really is

To say the discovery revolutionized the field would be an exaggeration, but it certainly opened promising new avenues.

Memory cueExaggeration stretches a small fish into a legendary sea monster.

To a very great degree; extremely

The enzyme is exceedingly sensitive to temperature changes, losing its catalytic function above forty degrees.

Memory cueExceedingly means the degree has raced far beyond ordinary limits.

At an increasingly rapid rate; by a very large amount

Data storage costs have decreased exponentially over the past three decades, transforming entire industries.

Memory cueExponential growth climbs faster each step, multiplying instead of adding.

In accordance with the highest standards of propriety; faultless

Her impeccable credentials made her the obvious choice for the position.

Memory cueAn impeccable surface passes inspection without a single fault mark.

Lacking the quality or quantity required; insufficient; not good enough

The city's inadequate sewage system could not handle the volume of water produced by the unprecedented rainfall.

Memory cueAn inadequate supply falls below the bright line marked ENOUGH.

Accompanying but not a major part of; occurring by chance in connection with something else

The composer's incidental music for the play became more famous than the drama it was written to accompany.

Memory cueAn incidental effect appears as a small side branch of the main event.

Not harmful or offensive; harmless

The seemingly innocuous email attachment contained malware that compromised the entire network.

Memory cueAn innocuous object touches a flower without damaging a single petal.

Belonging naturally; essential; inherent

The gemstone's intrinsic value lies not in its size but in the rarity of its deep blue color.

Memory cueIntrinsic value is woven into the thing itself, not added outside.

The middle value after a set of numbers has been arranged in order.

Because one executive earned exceptionally high pay, the median better represented the typical employee's salary.

Memory cueThe median stands on the median strip, exactly in the middle of the ordered road.

Made less severe, serious, or painful; lessened

The flood damage was mitigated by the levee system, though some low-lying areas were still inundated.

Memory cueShade mitigated the heat by making its severity less intense.

So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant

The difference in cost between the two options was negligible, so the committee chose the more sustainable one.

Memory cueA negligible amount shrinks into a speck too small to matter.

A position indicating the percentage of observations at or below a particular value.

A store in the ninetieth percentile for sales performed at least as well as ninety percent of stores.

Memory cueA percentile is your step on a hundred-step ranking ladder, not your percentage correct.

Of secondary or minor importance; marginal; on the edge

The study focused on the central nervous system, treating the peripheral nervous system as outside its scope.

Memory cuePeripheral items sit at the edge of the circle, outside the main center.

An excess of something; a large or excessive amount

The researcher was overwhelmed by the plethora of data generated by the new instrument.

Memory cueA plethora is such an excessive pile that it spills beyond what is useful.

Very great or intense; having or showing great knowledge or insight; going to a great depth

The discovery had a profound impact on the field, overturning assumptions that had stood for more than a century.

Memory cueA profound idea descends far below the surface into deep insight.

Producing a great quantity of something, especially creative work

The prolific author published over forty novels in a career spanning five decades.

Memory cueA prolific tree produces basket after basket of fruit.

The state of being important or famous; the quality of projecting or standing out

The theory rose to prominence in the 1980s and has remained the dominant framework in the field ever since.

Memory cueProminence projects outward, making something stand out in fame or importance.

Made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations; required

The applicant possessed all the requisite qualifications but lacked the industry connections that might have secured the position.

Memory cueA requisite is the required ticket demanded before entry.

Widespread; filled with; abundant (especially of something undesirable)

The industry was rife with corruption, a fact that successive investigations had documented but failed to remedy.

Memory cueA garden rife with weeds is filled with them everywhere.

Strong and healthy; vigorous; able to withstand adverse conditions

The economy showed robust growth in the third quarter, exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts.

Memory cueA robust oak stays strong and healthy through harsh weather.

The process of selecting part of a population to study as a representation of the whole.

Random sampling reduced the chance that the survey would include only the company's most enthusiastic customers.

Memory cueSampling tastes one careful spoonful to learn about the entire pot.

Barely sufficient or adequate; meager

Scant evidence supports the popular belief that reading in dim light permanently damages eyesight.

Memory cueA scant supply barely touches the minimum line and may be inadequate.

Insufficient in quantity; in short supply

Clean drinking water is scarce in the region, forcing residents to walk miles to the nearest safe source.

Memory cueA scarce resource sits nearly alone on an otherwise empty shelf.

Unnecessary; more than what is needed or wanted

The editor cut two entire chapters as superfluous, arguing that they repeated arguments made more effectively elsewhere.

Memory cueA superfluous piece remains after every need is already met.

Very weak or slight; insubstantial; thin and fragile

The connection between the two events is tenuous at best, resting on coincidence rather than demonstrated causation.

Memory cueA tenuous connection hangs from one thin, fraying thread.

Causing difficulty or disagreement; problematic; hard to deal with

Immigration policy remains one of the thorniest issues in contemporary politics, defying easy solutions.

Memory cueA thorny problem pricks anyone trying to handle its difficult details.

Of little value or importance; commonplace

What may appear trivial to an outsider—a single misplaced comma—can entirely change the meaning of a legal contract.

Memory cueA trivial speck is too small in value or importance to deserve the spotlight.

A measure of how widely values in a dataset spread around their average.

Two stores had equal average sales, but greater variance made one store's weekly results far less predictable.

Memory cueVariance asks how far the data dots wander away from their central camp.

Calculated so that some values influence the result more strongly than others.

The weighted average gives the larger division more influence because it employs far more people.

Memory cueA weighted value carries a heavier scale weight, so it pulls the final result farther.

The time at which something is most powerful or successful; the highest point

The empire reached its zenith in the sixteenth century before beginning its long decline.

Memory cueAt its zenith, a star or career reaches its highest point.