GRE vocabulary: knowledge and reasoning.

Difficult to understand; obscure

The philosopher's abstruse arguments about consciousness left even his colleagues struggling to follow.

The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions; keen insight

The CEO's financial acumen allowed her to navigate the company through three consecutive recessions.

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected

The star's unusual brightness was dismissed as an anomaly until a second telescope confirmed the observation.

Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than reason or system

The grading system appeared arbitrary, with identical essays receiving wildly different marks from different reviewers.

Understood by few; mysterious or secret

The professor's lectures on arcane mathematical theories attracted only the most dedicated students.

Found out for certain; determined with confidence through investigation

The detective ascertained the suspect's alibi through a painstaking review of security camera footage.

The act of ascribing a work or remark to a particular author or source

The painting's attribution to Rembrandt has been questioned by several art historians who point to inconsistencies in technique.

Relating to the systematic description of books and other published works

The appendix contains a comprehensive bibliographical survey of every major study on the topic since 1950.

A warning or proviso; a qualification or limitation

The study's authors included an important caveat: the results may not generalize to populations outside the sample.

Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or aspects of something; thorough

The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the economic, social, and environmental costs of the proposed dam.

In a way that is imaginable or possible

The mutation could conceivably confer an advantage in environments where temperatures fluctuate dramatically.

To combine two or more ideas, texts, or sets of information, often erroneously treating distinct things as identical

Critics argue that the study conflates correlation with causation, a common error in epidemiological research.

Acting as a hidden variable that distorts the apparent relationship between other variables

Age was a confounding variable that the researchers failed to control for in their analysis of health outcomes.

An opinion formed on the basis of incomplete information; to form such an opinion

Without hard evidence, any explanation at this point is merely conjecture.

A confusing and difficult problem or question

The energy crisis presents a conundrum: how to maintain growth while reducing emissions.

A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things, especially a statistical one

The study found a strong correlation between childhood reading habits and academic performance in college.

Confirmed or gave support to (a statement, theory, or finding)

Eyewitness testimony corroborated the forensic evidence, strengthening the prosecution's case considerably.

Confirming or giving support to a statement, theory, or finding

The newly discovered letters provide corroborating evidence for the historian's controversial thesis.

An example that disproves or contradicts a general claim

A single counterexample is sufficient to disprove a universal claim in formal logic.

Contrary to what common sense or intuition would suggest

The finding that wider highways can increase congestion is counterintuitive but well supported by traffic research.

Hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Even a cursory examination of the data revealed significant flaws in the methodology.

Done or reached decisively and with authority; providing a final, authoritative answer

Her biography of the composer is widely regarded as the definitive account of his life and work.

To describe or portray precisely; to outline or sketch

The treaty attempted to delineate the boundary between the two nations along the mountain ridge.

To set the boundaries or limits of; to distinguish

Stone walls built centuries ago still demarcate the ancient property lines visible in aerial photographs.

Capable of being obtained or deduced from a source

The equation's key insight is that the entire system's behavior is derivable from just three initial conditions.

Having exact and discernible limits or form; precisely fixed

The contract's language was deliberately determinate, leaving no ambiguity about each party's obligations.

To identify the nature of a problem or condition through examination

Early efforts to diagnose the disease were hampered by the similarity of its symptoms to several common infections.

Divisions or contrasts between two things that are represented as being opposed or different

The philosopher argued that the rigid dichotomies between nature and culture, mind and body, were fundamentally misleading.

A division or contrast between two things represented as being opposed or entirely different

The dichotomy between rural and urban values has long shaped political discourse.

To persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken

The professor sought to disabuse her students of the common misconception about evolutionary theory.

Perceive or recognize clearly; distinguish with difficulty

Only a trained eye can discern the subtle differences between the genuine artifact and the forgery.

Able to be perceived or recognized; distinguishable

No discernible pattern emerged from the data, suggesting that the phenomenon may be genuinely random.

Having or showing good judgment; perceptive

The discerning reader will notice subtle allusions to classical mythology throughout the novel.

A lack of agreement or consistency between facts or claims

The discrepancy between the official statistics and the independent survey raised questions about data collection methods.

The act of freeing from complication or difficulty

The disentanglement of the author's personal beliefs from her fictional characters' views remains a challenge for scholars.

The ability to produce a desired or intended result; effectiveness

Clinical trials are required to demonstrate the efficacy of a new drug before it can be approved.

Based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic

The hypothesis, however elegant, must be supported by empirical evidence before it can be accepted as theory.

The condition of being equal or interchangeable in value, function, or meaning

The mathematician proved the equivalence of the two theorems, showing that each could be derived from the other.

Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous; uncertain or questionable

The results of the experiment were equivocal, supporting neither hypothesis definitively.

Wrong; incorrect; based on error

The map was based on erroneous survey data, placing the mountain range nearly fifty miles from its actual location.

Having or showing great knowledge or learning

The erudite professor could lecture on topics ranging from Renaissance art to quantum physics.

Intended for or understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge

The journal publishes articles on topics so esoteric that its readership numbers in the low hundreds.

To demonstrate or prove the existence of

The prosecution must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was present at the scene.

Based on or derived from experience rather than theory

The program emphasizes experiential learning, placing students in real-world settings rather than traditional classrooms.

The act of extending known data or reasoning beyond what is directly observed or stated

The report's conclusions rely on an extrapolation from limited data that some experts consider overly optimistic.

Based on a mistaken belief; embodying a fallacy; logically unsound

The argument that correlation implies causation is a classic example of fallacious reasoning.

To understand (a difficult problem or enigmatic person) after much thought

Economists still struggle to fathom how the obscure financial instrument triggered a worldwide recession.

Relevant to a subject under consideration; pertinent

The judge ruled that the evidence was not germane to the case and could not be admitted.

To pay attention to; to take notice of

Investors who failed to heed the economist's warnings about the housing bubble suffered catastrophic losses.

Proposed explanations or assumptions made on the basis of limited evidence, to be tested further

Several competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the sudden disappearance of the Mayan civilization.

Supposed but not necessarily true; based on or serving as a hypothesis

The philosopher posed a hypothetical scenario involving a runaway trolley to illustrate competing ethical frameworks.

As a supposition; in theory, for the sake of argument

Even hypothetically, the scenario raises difficult questions about the limits of individual liberty in a pandemic.

To light up; to clarify or make understandable

The newly translated documents illuminate aspects of medieval life that were previously understood only through speculation.

To clarify, explain, or shed light on a subject

The discovery of the private diaries illuminated the writer's creative process in ways her published work never could.

When looking back on a past event or situation; with hindsight

In retrospect, the warning signs of the financial crisis were abundant, but few analysts connected the dots at the time.

Intelligently analytical and clear-thinking; sharp and penetrating

Her incisive critique of the study revealed several methodological flaws.

Not leading to a firm conclusion; not decisive

The autopsy results were inconclusive, leaving investigators without a definitive cause of death.

Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings; inconsistent or out of place

The sleek modern skyscraper looked incongruous among the centuries-old stone buildings of the historic district.

Deducing or concluding from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements

By inferring the author's intent from contextual clues, the scholar reconstructed the likely meaning of the damaged passage.

Inborn; natural; existing from birth rather than acquired

The debate over whether musical ability is innate or acquired has persisted for centuries without a definitive answer.

Relating to or prompted by instinct; done without conscious thought; innate

The goalkeeper's instinctive dive to the left saved what would have been the winning goal.

Knowledge or insight gained without conscious reasoning; instinctive understanding

The detective's intuition told her something was wrong with the alibi, long before the evidence confirmed it.

To make something legally or factually void; to prove wrong or unfounded

A procedural error invalidated the election results, forcing the district to hold a costly second vote.

The act of placing two things side by side for comparison or contrast

The exhibition's juxtaposition of Renaissance portraits with contemporary selfies invited viewers to reflect on how self-presentation has evolved.

Statistical analyses that combine the results of multiple scientific studies

Several meta-analyses combining data from hundreds of studies have confirmed the treatment's effectiveness.

A view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding

A common misconception about evolution is that it implies a progression from 'lower' to 'higher' organisms.

Subtle differences or distinctions in meaning, expression, or tone

The translator captured not just the words but the cultural nuances that gave the original text its richness.

Placed together; associated with

The exhibit paired each historical photograph with a contemporary image of the same location, revealing dramatic changes.

A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases; a cure-all

Technology is often presented as a panacea, but it cannot solve every social problem.

A typical example or pattern of something; a model or framework

The discovery forced scientists to adopt an entirely new paradigm for understanding the phenomenon.

A seemingly contradictory or absurd statement or situation that may nonetheless be true

The paradox of thrift—that saving more individually can harm the economy collectively—puzzled economists for decades.

Measurable factors or variables that define a system or set the conditions of its operation

The experiment's parameters were carefully controlled to isolate the effect of a single variable.

An unusual or distinctive feature or quality; oddity

One peculiarity of the local dialect is the use of a double negative to express emphasis rather than negation.

Excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overly academic

The pedantic lecturer insisted on correcting every minor grammatical error in students' papers.

Having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning

The perspicacious analyst detected the accounting irregularity that three previous auditors had missed.

Relating to; having relevance to

All documents pertaining to the acquisition must be submitted to the regulatory agency within thirty days.

Observable events or occurrences, especially ones whose causes are in question

The aurora borealis is one of nature's most spectacular phenomena, produced by charged particles striking the atmosphere.

The quality of seeming reasonable or probable; credibility

The theory gained plausibility when independent researchers replicated the original experiment with consistent results.

Able to be done or put into practice successfully; feasible

The committee asked engineers to determine whether the proposal was practicable given current technology and budget constraints.

A practical approach to problems and affairs rather than ideological

The president's pragmatism allowed her to forge unlikely alliances that advanced her legislative agenda.

A proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion; the basis of an argument

The entire argument rests on a premise that the author never actually defends—that human nature is fundamentally selfish.

Propositions from which a conclusion is drawn; foundational statements in an argument

If the premises of the syllogism are accepted, the conclusion follows with logical necessity.

Assumed to be capable of being confirmed as true

The claims in the report are presumed verifiable, pending the release of the underlying data by the research team.

A belief accepted as true without proof; an assumption

The legal system operates on the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Based on reasonable inference or probability rather than certainty

The presumptive diagnosis, based on initial symptoms, was confirmed by laboratory tests three days later.

Accurately predicting or foretelling the future

The ecologist's warnings about deforestation, dismissed as alarmist in the 1970s, now seem grimly prophetic.

In a way that can be demonstrated or proven

The claim is provably false, as anyone who checks the publicly available records can confirm.

To make a statement less absolute; to limit or restrict in meaning

The author was careful to qualify her claims, noting that the findings applied only to the specific population studied.

To make compatible; to bring into harmony; to settle or resolve

The historian struggled to reconcile the conflicting eyewitness accounts of the battle into a single coherent narrative.

Brings into agreement; makes two apparently conflicting things compatible

The new model reconciles quantum mechanics and general relativity in ways that previous theories could not.

Little known; obscure; dealing with abstruse or profound subject matter

The philosopher's recondite treatise on modal logic was admired by specialists but inaccessible to a general audience.

Not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous

The editor removed several redundant paragraphs that restated points already made more effectively earlier in the essay.

To prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false

The archaeologist presented compelling evidence to refute the long-standing claim that the site was a ceremonial center.

Capable of being exactly copied or reproduced

For a scientific finding to be taken seriously, the experiment that produced it must be replicable by independent labs.

Looking back on or dealing with past events; an exhibition showing an artist's lifetime work

The museum's retrospective of the painter's work revealed an artistic evolution that spanned six distinct periods.

Academic study or research; the body of published work on a subject

Her scholarship on the Ottoman Empire is regarded as essential reading for anyone entering the field.

The extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with; range

The scope of the investigation expanded as new evidence implicated officials at the highest levels of government.

Examined or inspected closely and thoroughly

The contract was scrutinized by three different law firms before the board of directors approved the deal.

Superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading in appearance

The specious argument sounded convincing at first but crumbled under rigorous analysis.

The forming of theories or conjectures without firm evidence

The theory remains in the realm of speculation until experiments can be designed to test its predictions.

Based on conjecture or theory rather than firm evidence; tentative

The final chapter ventures into speculative territory, imagining how the technology might evolve over the next century.

To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of

The journalist spent months gathering documents to substantiate allegations of fraud within the charity.

The action of providing evidence to support or prove the truth of something

Without substantiation, the claims amounted to little more than rumor and were excluded from the final report.

A widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences

The scientist's mission was to replace superstition with evidence-based understanding in public health practices.

The combination of separate elements into a coherent whole

The book is a masterful synthesis of economics, sociology, and political science applied to the problem of inequality.

To combine separate elements or ideas into a coherent whole

The review article attempts to synthesize findings from over two hundred studies into a coherent theoretical framework.

Formal statements or evidence given, especially by witnesses or experts

The survivor's testimony provided the most compelling account of conditions inside the camp.

A proposition or central claim advanced and maintained by argument

The dissertation's central thesis—that economic inequality drives political instability—is supported by extensive historical data.

To be the cause or basis of; to lie beneath

Deep structural inequalities underlie the disparities in health outcomes observed between wealthy and impoverished communities.

Not based on valid reasoning or good judgment; unreliable

The bridge was declared structurally unsound after engineers discovered extensive corrosion in its steel supports.

Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection

New evidence rendered the prosecution's theory untenable.