GMAT vocabulary: language, records and communication.

Shortened or condensed while retaining the essential content

The abridged edition of the novel omits several subplots but preserves the central narrative arc.

Memory cueAn abridged bridge is shortened, yet still connects the essential points.

An indirect or passing reference to something

The poet's allusion to the myth of Icarus underscores the novel's theme of overreaching ambition.

Memory cueAn allusion points sideways toward an idea without naming it directly.

Open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning; unclear

The contract language was deliberately ambiguous, allowing both parties to claim compliance.

Memory cueAn ambiguous road sign points both left and right, leaving more than one possible meaning.

Comparable in certain respects; similar or equivalent in function

The structure of an atom was once considered analogous to a miniature solar system, though this model has since been refined.

Memory cueAnalogous objects stand on a comparison bridge because certain features correspond.

To express clearly and effectively

The witness was able to articulate the sequence of events with remarkable precision despite the trauma she had endured.

Memory cueAn articulate speaker turns complex thoughts into clear, well-shaped words.

A resource owned or controlled by an organization that has economic value.

The patent became a valuable asset because it gave the company exclusive rights to its invention.

Memory cueAn asset sits on the value side of the ledger because it can provide future benefit.

So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring; trite

The critic dismissed the film's dialogue as banal and predictable.

Memory cueA banal idea is so overused that it produces a bored yawn.

High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated and pretentious in language

The senator's bombastic speeches impressed few of his more thoughtful colleagues.

Memory cueBombastic language inflates a small idea inside a huge pompous balloon.

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

The cacophony of car horns, construction, and shouting vendors defined the city soundscape.

Memory cueA cacophony is a crashing mixture of horns, alarms, and discordant noise.

Logically consistent; forming a unified, intelligible whole

The defense attorney failed to present a coherent alternative theory that could account for all the evidence.

Memory cueA coherent argument links each logical step into one clear, unbroken chain.

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning

The word 'regime' carries a negative connotation that 'administration' does not, even when describing the same government.

Memory cueConnotation is the emotional luggage a word carries beyond its definition.

Extremely complex and difficult to follow; intricately twisted

The tax code has become so convoluted that even accountants specializing in it disagree on basic interpretations.

Memory cueA convoluted path coils into complex loops that are difficult to follow.

(Of writing or description) Clear, concise, and to the point

The journalist's crisp prose conveyed complex policy debates in language any reader could follow.

Memory cueCrisp prose snaps cleanly into clear, concise sentences.

In the form of a declaration; relating to factual information or explicit memory

The opening paragraph makes a bold, declarative statement that the rest of the essay spends two hundred pages defending.

Memory cueA declarative statement plants a clear factual flag instead of asking.

Intended to teach or instruct, often excessively moralistic

The novel's didactic tone undermines its literary merit, as characters exist only to deliver moral lessons.

Memory cueA didactic story points a teaching finger at its audience.

Spread out over a large area; not concentrated; lacking clarity

The essay's argument is so diffuse that the reader loses track of the central thesis by the third paragraph.

Memory cueDiffuse light spreads broadly instead of concentrating in one beam.

In a way that is characteristic and distinguishing; uniquely

The architect's use of curved glass facades made her buildings distinctively recognizable across the city skyline.

Memory cueA distinctively striped tail uniquely distinguishes one animal from others.

To develop or present in further detail; to add more information

The professor asked the student to elaborate on her thesis, which he found provocative but insufficiently supported.

Memory cueTo elaborate, unfold a simple point into richer supporting detail.

The process of developing something in further detail

The theory requires further elaboration before it can be tested against the full range of available data.

Memory cueElaboration adds branches of detail to a bare central idea.

To evoke or draw out a response, answer, or fact

The prosecutor's carefully worded questions were designed to elicit a confession.

Memory cueA skillful question draws a hidden response out into the open.

To make something clear; to explain or shed light on

The professor's examples helped elucidate the complex theorem for the students.

Memory cueElucidate by switching on a light that makes the explanation clear.

The owners' residual interest in a business after its liabilities are subtracted from its assets.

After repaying every creditor, the remaining value of the company belongs to shareholders as equity.

Memory cueOn the accounting scale, equity is what remains for owners after debts leave the asset side.

A mild or indirect word substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt

Calling layoffs a 'workforce restructuring' is a common corporate euphemism.

Memory cueA euphemism wraps a harsh fact in softer, indirect language.

To bring or recall to the conscious mind; to call forth

The composer's use of minor keys and sparse orchestration was designed to evoke a sense of solitude and longing.

Memory cueA familiar scent can evoke a memory, calling it into consciousness.

Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for doubt

The contract makes explicit that either party may terminate the agreement with thirty days' written notice.

Memory cueAn explicit instruction labels every detail clearly and leaves nothing hidden.

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant

His facetious remarks during the meeting were not appreciated by the board members.

Memory cueA facetious grin puts a joke hat on a serious issue at the wrong time.

The quality of being vivid, direct, and without intervening medium

The war correspondent's dispatches had an immediacy that transported readers directly to the front lines.

Memory cueImmediacy removes distance so an experience feels vivid, direct, and present.

Implied though not plainly expressed; understood but not directly stated

There was an implicit understanding among the staff that disagreeing publicly with the director could end one's career.

Memory cueAn implicit message travels beneath the words instead of being directly stated.

Lacking flavor; lacking vigor or interest; dull

The insipid dialogue made the film unwatchable despite its impressive visual effects.

Memory cueInsipid soup and insipid conversation are equally lacking in flavor.

Able to be understood; comprehensible

The translator's challenge was to render the poet's dense symbolism intelligible to readers in a different cultural context.

Memory cueAn intelligible message passes through a clear doorway into understanding.

A debt or obligation that an organization is responsible for paying or fulfilling.

The unpaid supplier invoice appears as a liability until the company settles the amount it owes.

Memory cueA liability is a bill clipped to the ledger, marking an obligation still owed.

Expressed clearly; easy to understand; bright or luminous

The professor was praised for her lucid explanations of otherwise impenetrable theories.

Memory cueA lucid explanation shines like a clear lamp with no fog around it.

Presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms; gruesome

The tabloid published lurid accounts of the scandal, embellishing every detail for maximum sensational effect.

Memory cueLurid headlines glow with vividly shocking, sensational details.

Figurative; using one thing to represent another symbolically

The author's use of the garden as a metaphorical stand-in for civilization pervades the entire novel.

Memory cueA metaphorical bridge connects unlike ideas symbolically rather than physically.

To express the meaning of something using different words; a rewording

Students were asked to paraphrase the passage in their own words to demonstrate genuine comprehension.

Memory cueTo paraphrase, carry the same meaning into different words.

Quality of being obviously and easily understood or reached

The patent accessibility of her writing allowed readers without scientific training to grasp the significance of the research.

Memory cuePatent accessibility means the path is plainly open and obviously easy.

Concise and forceful in expression

The editor demanded pithy headlines that could capture a story's essence in five words or fewer.

Memory cueA pithy sentence packs dense meaning into a tiny verbal seed.

Lacking poetic beauty or imagination; commonplace; dull and ordinary

The truth behind the legend turned out to be disappointingly prosaic —a simple accounting error, not a grand conspiracy.

Memory cueA prosaic passage walks the plain prose road without poetic color.

Root or base elements of a word from which derivatives are formed

Understanding Latin and Greek radicals can help students decode the meanings of unfamiliar English words.

Memory cueWord radicals are root elements from which related forms grow.

(Of writing or speech) lengthy and confused; disorganized

The witness's rambling testimony, full of tangents and contradictions, tested the patience of both the judge and the jury.

Memory cueA rambling speech wanders down many side roads without clear direction.

Money owed to a business by a customer who purchased on credit.

The overdue receivable remained an asset, although managers doubted that the customer would pay it fully.

Memory cueA receivable is money marked TO BE RECEIVED from a customer later.

Income generated from a company's ordinary sales of goods or services before expenses are deducted.

Subscription revenue rose during the quarter, but higher marketing expenses prevented profit from increasing.

Memory cueRevenue is money entering through the sales door before costs take their share.

Persuasive or grandiloquent language; discourse aimed at influencing opinion

The candidate's soaring rhetoric inspired millions, though critics wondered whether the policies could match the promises.

Memory cueRhetoric arranges language deliberately to persuade and influence an audience.

Relating to or concerned with the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing

The author's use of rhetorical questions forces the reader to confront uncomfortable truths about complicity.

Memory cueRhetorical skill shapes language into an effective instrument of persuasion.

Relating to meaning in language

The dispute was largely semantic, with both parties agreeing on the substance but disagreeing about the terminology.

Memory cueSemantic questions concern what words and sentences mean.

Loud and harsh; presenting a point of view in an excessively forceful way

The strident tone of the editorial alienated readers who might otherwise have agreed.

Memory cueA strident voice turns an opinion into a loud, harsh demand.

Understood or implied without being stated; unspoken

There was a tacit agreement among the committee members to avoid discussing the controversial topic.

Memory cueA tacit agreement is understood through silence rather than spoken words.

Diverging from a previous course; only marginally relevant

The professor's tangential remarks, while entertaining, distracted from the main lecture topic.

Memory cueA tangential remark leaves the main subject along a side road.

Sparing in the use of words; abrupt and concise

The general's terse battlefield dispatches—sometimes only three words long—became legendary for their economy of expression.

Memory cueA terse reply is short, clipped, and sharp at the edges.

Lacking originality or freshness; overused and consequently dull

The commencement speech was full of trite advice about 'following your dreams' that the graduates had heard a hundred times before.

Memory cueA trite phrase comes from a stamp that has printed the same words too many times.

To emphasize; to underline the importance of something

The rising number of extreme weather events only serves to underscore the urgency of addressing climate change.

Memory cueAn underscore literally draws a line beneath an important point to emphasize it.

Leaving no doubt; unambiguous; clear and decisive

The court's ruling was unequivocal: the statute was unconstitutional.

Memory cueAn unequivocal arrow points only one way and leaves no room for doubt.

Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; dull and uninspiring

The vapid television programming was criticized for failing to engage viewers intellectually.

Memory cueVapid conversation is flat air offering nothing stimulating or substantial.

In exactly the same words; word for word

The court stenographer recorded the testimony verbatim, capturing every word and hesitation.

Memory cueVerbatim repetition copies the exact words, word for word.

Expressing opinions or feelings freely or loudly

The most vocal opponents of the policy were community leaders who had seen similar measures fail in the past.

Memory cueA vocal supporter freely and loudly expresses an opinion.