GRE vocabulary: praise, criticism and judgment.

An award or privilege granted as a special honor or acknowledgment of merit

The researcher received the highest accolade in her field for groundbreaking work in genetics.

Sharp and forthright in speech or manner; biting; caustic

The critic's acerbic review of the opera spared neither the director's vision nor the lead soprano's performance.

Warned or reprimanded firmly; urged earnestly

The judge admonished the attorney for repeatedly interrupting opposing counsel during cross-examination.

Pacifying or placating by acceding to demands; bringing peace to

Appeasing the rival faction only emboldened them to make more extreme demands in subsequent negotiations.

Approval or praise; official sanction

The young artist sought the approbation of the established critics.

To make an unpleasant feeling less intense; to satisfy or relieve

Nothing could assuage his guilt over the error that had cost the company millions.

The making of false and defamatory statements about someone; slander

The candidate accused her opponent of spreading calumny to damage her reputation.

To reprimand someone severely; to criticize harshly

The editorial castigated the government for its slow response to the crisis.

Sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way; capable of burning or corroding

Her caustic review of the novel left its author devastated.

To express severe disapproval of, especially in a formal statement

The ethics committee voted to censure the senator for violating campaign finance rules.

Evoking interest or attention in a powerfully irresistible way

The documentary presents a compelling case that systemic reforms are needed in the criminal justice system.

Expressing praise and admiration

The review was almost entirely complimentary, praising the author's prose, structure, and depth of research.

Something conceded or acknowledged, especially in an argument, while maintaining the overall position

The author's concession that her earlier model was flawed lent credibility to her revised theory.

Relating to or making a concession; acknowledging a point while maintaining the main argument

The essay's concessive opening paragraph acknowledges the strengths of the opposing view before systematically dismantling it.

To accept or allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive

The university refused to condone the use of artificial intelligence to produce student essays.

A firmly held belief or opinion

She argued with such conviction that even her skeptics found themselves reconsidering long-held assumptions.

Showing deference; respectful and yielding to the judgment of another

The junior diplomat's deferential manner during the negotiations concealed a sharp tactical mind.

To publicly declare to be wrong or evil; to condemn openly

Human rights organizations denounced the government's use of force against peaceful demonstrators.

To express disapproval of; to belittle

She tended to deprecate her own achievements, attributing her success to luck.

To express contempt for; to ridicule or mock

Critics derided the proposal as impractical and hopelessly idealistic.

A forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something

The columnist launched a diatribe against the proposed legislation.

Strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds

The community expressed its disapprobation of the proposal by attending the town hall meeting in record numbers.

The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of consideration; contempt

The aristocrat made no effort to conceal her disdain for what she considered the vulgarity of commercial art.

Regarded or represented as being of little worth; belittled

The architect's contemporaries disparaged his designs as impractical, but today his buildings are celebrated as visionary.

A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly

The biography reads more like an encomium than a balanced account of the leader's life.

The act of approving, supporting, or sustaining

The scientist's endorsement of the new vaccine carried enormous weight with a skeptical public.

Criticizing severely; censuring harshly

The editorial delivered an excoriating critique of the government's failure to prepare for the pandemic.

Serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind

The school's exemplary test scores attracted national attention and prompted other districts to study its methods.

To praise enthusiastically

The review extolled the novel's innovative structure and richly drawn characters.

Praised enthusiastically and at length

The poet was extolled by contemporaries as the voice of a generation, though later critics were less generous.

Provoked or annoyed to stimulate some action or reaction

Goaded by the opposition's taunts, the usually composed minister made an intemperate remark she later regretted.

Uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted

The reviewer criticized the film for its gratuitous violence, which added nothing to the plot.

Qualified or limited with conditions or restrictions; cautiously stated

The scientist's hedged conclusions—full of qualifiers and caveats—reflected the genuine uncertainty of the data.

Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language

The debate devolved into personal invective rather than substantive policy discussion.

Criticizing harshly; attacking verbally with great force

The editorial spent three columns lambasting the governor's record on education, sparing no detail.

To praise highly; to extol

Critics were quick to laud the director's bold visual style, though some found the screenplay lacking.

Deserving praise and commendation

While the goals of the initiative are laudable, the execution has been deeply flawed.

To appease the anger or anxiety of someone; to calm or soothe

The company offered full refunds in an attempt to mollify dissatisfied customers.

Appeasing the anger or anxiety of; soothing

The CEO's mollifying tone during the press conference did little to calm shareholders who had lost millions.

Harsh criticism or censure; public disgrace arising from shameful conduct

The politician faced widespread opprobrium after the scandal became public.

Acceptable or satisfactory; pleasant to taste

The committee revised the proposal to make it more palatable to the opposition.

To win or regain the favor of someone by doing something that pleases them

The company offered generous severance packages to propitiate the laid-off workers.

To express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone

The supervisor's public rebuke of the employee was considered unnecessarily harsh.

Felt deep respect or admiration for

The philosopher was revered by students and colleagues alike for both his intellectual brilliance and his personal integrity.

Deep respect and admiration

The reverence with which the community regarded the ancient forest made the logging proposal especially controversial.

Grimly mocking or cynical; disdainfully humorous

His sardonic commentary on the proceedings amused some but offended many.

Witheringly harsh; severely critical

The peer reviewer's scathing critique of the manuscript identified fundamental flaws in the study's experimental design.

Mercilessly severe; showing no mercy or restraint

The autobiography is unsparing in its self-criticism, offering no excuses for the mistakes the author made.

To regard with great respect; to revere

The community venerated the founder, preserving her home as a historic landmark.

To speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner; to defame

The press campaign sought to vilify the opposition candidate with unsubstantiated accusations.

Filled with bitter criticism or malice; caustic and hostile

The vitriolic exchange between the two candidates dominated the evening news.

Devastating; intended to make someone feel mortified or humiliated; intensely destructive

The critic delivered a withering assessment of the novel, calling it the most self-indulgent book of the year.