Advanced Vocabulary for the GRE - The Soul of a Soulless World

Here you will learn some English words about society and religion, such as "disperse", "dogma", "litany", etc. that are needed for the GRE exam.

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to alienate [verb]

to make one feel isolated or hostile toward a person or group

Ex: The controversial comments alienated him from the rest of the group .

to disperse [verb]

to part and move in different directions

Ex: Once the meeting concluded , team members began to disperse , heading back to their workstations .

to supplicate [verb]

to ask or request humbly and earnestly, typically in a religious or devotional context

Ex: He spent hours supplicating in prayer for his family 's safety .

to venerate [verb]

to feel or display a great amount of respect toward something or someone

Ex: The artist 's work has been venerated by art critics and enthusiasts alike .

apotheosis [noun]

the act of elevating a person's rank to that of a god

Ex: Statues were erected to honor the apotheosis of the city 's founder .

atavism [noun]

an ancestral or ancient trait, feeling, outlook, activity, etc. that modern humans revert to

Ex: His fear of the dark felt like an atavism , a remnant of early human survival instincts .

chauvinist [noun]

someone who strongly believes that their gender, race, country, or group is superior

Ex: She confronted the chauvinist who believed women should only stay at home .

epiphany [noun]

a moment in which one comes to a sudden realization

Ex:

exegesis [noun]

an interpretation and thorough explanation of a piece of writing, particularly a religious one

Ex: A detailed exegesis of the text was required for the theology course .

hedonist [noun]

an individual who acts according to the belief that pursuing pleasure is of the highest importance in life

Ex: The hedonist valued luxury and comfort above all else .

iconoclast [noun]

a person who challenges or rejects established beliefs, customs, or values, often with the intent to provoke change or expose flaws

Ex: The artist gained fame as an iconoclast who defied conventional aesthetics .

libertine [noun]

an individual who is not concerned with morality and overindulges in pleasure, particularly sexual pleasure

Ex: The libertine spent his nights in wild parties , seeking pleasure without restraint .

litany [noun]

a religious service that consists of the leading person saying some prayers followed by set responses from the people who are participating

Ex: The choir sang softly as the litany echoed through the church .

mores [noun]

the customs and values of a society that characterize it

Ex: The mores of a society may evolve over time in response to changing social , economic , and political conditions .

occult [noun]

all that relates to the magical and supernatural, their events, practices, powers, etc.

Ex: The film 's plot revolved around a hidden occult society with mysterious rituals .

prognostication [noun]

a statement meaning to predict or guess the events of the future

Ex: They treated the astrologer ’s prognostication with skepticism .

recluse [noun]

an individual who lives by themselves and avoids all sorts of contact with other people

Ex: The reporters struggled to get any information from the celebrity who had become a recluse since her scandal broke .

solecism [noun]

an act that is considered to be impolite or unacceptable

Ex: He committed a solecism by failing to address his guests properly at the party .

turpitude [noun]

a disposition or behavior that is extremely immoral or wicked

Ex: The judge condemned the defendant 's turpitude in the court ruling .

arcane [adjective]

requiring specialized or secret knowledge to comprehend fully

Ex: The arcane rules of the ritual were passed down through generations .

benighted [adjective]

lacking in intellect, culture, knowledge, or morals

Ex: She felt trapped in a benighted community that resisted progressive ideas .

contrite [adjective]

expressing or experiencing deep regret or guilt because of a wrong act that one has committed

Ex: The manager ’s contrite response to the customer complaint helped resolve the issue .

diabolical [adjective]

tremendously wicked or evil, just like the Devil

Ex: The movie ’s antagonist was portrayed as a diabolical figure with no remorse .

disjointed [adjective]

not connected in an orderly or coherent way

Ex: The report was criticized for its disjointed structure and lack of clear organization .

fanatical [adjective]

extremely enthusiastic or obsessed about something

Ex: His fanatical obsession with the band led him to attend every concert and collect rare memorabilia .

gregarious [adjective]

(of people) delighted by the company of others

Ex: The gregarious host made sure everyone felt welcome at the party , creating a warm and inviting atmosphere .

indifferent [adjective]

unbiased and not favoring one side

Ex: Despite the heated arguments , he stayed indifferent and focused on finding a solution .

orthodox [adjective]

following established beliefs, traditions, or accepted standards

Ex: The government 's response to the crisis was orthodox , following established protocols and procedures .

pious [adjective]

having strong faith in a religion and living according to it

Ex: The pious ritual was performed with great reverence and adherence to tradition .

principled [adjective]

behaving in a manner that shows one's high moral standards

Ex:

polarized [adjective]

divided into groups that strongly disagree

Ex: The polarized nature of the political landscape made compromise and collaboration difficult .

sacrosanct [adjective]

extremely important, to the point that it is not allowed to be condemned or changed

Ex: The artwork was deemed sacrosanct , and any attempt to modify it was strictly forbidden .

secular [adjective]

not concerned or connected with religion

Ex: She identifies as secular , preferring to approach life without relying on religious beliefs .

unseemly [adjective]

behaving in a manner that is impolite and not in accordance with the situation

Ex: His choice to criticize his colleagues in front of clients was deemed unseemly and unprofessional .

Advanced Vocabulary for the GRE
Likes and Dislikes	Features and Attributes	Characteristics and Disposition	Traits and Behavior
Quality and Temperament	Aspects and Manners	Hold an Opinion, Give an Advice!	What's on Your Mind?
Everyone Is Entitled to Their Own Opinion!	Make Up Your Mind!	Open and Shut Case	Ripples in a Pond
Only Change Is Constant!	The Soul of a Soulless World	Civil Society and Religiosity	Cultural Sphere and Arts
Artsy Endeavors	Government as a Necessary Evil	Appearance Could be Deceptive!	As It Appears!
Beyond Measure!	Ensure Good Health!	Success Is a Sure Thing, Failure Is Not!	Experiment, Learn, and Repeat!
Stay on the Safe Side!	From Rags to Riches