📘 30 Advanced GMAT Sentence Correction Vocabulary Words for Conflict, Strategy & Communication
Boost your GMAT Verbal score today!
This curated list of 30 essential vocabulary words focuses on Conflict Resolution, Strategic Decision-Making, and Effective Communication — critical areas often tested in GMAT Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning.
Each word includes meaning, a GMAT-style example sentence, and a quick usage tip to sharpen your verbal skills.
🔢 Vocabulary List with Examples
1. Conflict & Resolution
- Accomplice
• Meaning: A person who helps another commit a crime
• Sentence: The accomplice was arrested for aiding the thief’s escape.
• Tip: Often used in crime or wrongdoing scenarios. - Accost
• Meaning: To approach and address aggressively
• Sentence: The stranger accosted the celebrity outside the hotel.
• Tip: Usually associated with aggressive or abrupt behavior. - Admonish
• Meaning: To firmly warn or reprimand
• Sentence: The teacher admonished the students for their misconduct.
• Tip: Signifies formal criticism or warning. - Admonitory
• Meaning: Expressing warning
• Sentence: The judge’s tone was admonitory when addressing the accused.
• Tip: Often paired with legal or formal contexts. - Adjudicate
• Meaning: To make a formal judgment or decision
• Sentence: The tribunal will adjudicate the dispute between the two firms.
• Tip: Common in decision-making or legal matters. - Adamant
• Meaning: Unyielding or firm in opinion
• Sentence: She remained adamant despite repeated objections.
• Tip: Useful when describing refusal to change position. - Acrimonious
• Meaning: Bitter or angry in tone
• Sentence: The debate turned acrimonious after the allegations.
• Tip: Indicates hostility or resentment in discussions. - Acrimony
• Meaning: Bitter feelings or disputes
• Sentence: Years of acrimony ended in a bitter divorce.
• Tip: Appears when emotional or hostile relationships are discussed.
2. Strategy & Decision Making
- Acumen
• Meaning: Sharpness in practical matters
• Sentence: Her business acumen helped the company grow quickly.
• Tip: Positive attribute related to strategic insight. - Actuate
• Meaning: To put into action
• Sentence: The crisis actuated immediate policy changes.
• Tip: Look for verbs indicating cause-effect. - Adapt
• Meaning: To adjust to new conditions
• Sentence: Startups must adapt quickly to changing markets.
• Tip: Often tested in logical cause/effect or flexibility discussions. - Acquiesce
• Meaning: To accept without protest
• Sentence: He acquiesced to the board’s final decision.
• Tip: Suggests passive acceptance. - Adequate
• Meaning: Sufficient or satisfactory
• Sentence: The evidence was adequate to support the claim.
• Tip: Precision matters—adequate is neutral, neither outstanding nor poor.
3. Business & Economics
- Accord
• Meaning: Agreement or harmony
• Sentence: The two countries reached an accord after months of negotiation.
• Tip: Used in contracts, treaties, and business deals. - Accrue
• Meaning: To accumulate over time
• Sentence: Interest will accrue on the savings account monthly.
• Tip: Often paired with financial or benefit contexts. - Accretion
• Meaning: Gradual growth
• Sentence: The accretion of small donations funded the school expansion.
• Tip: Relates to gradual building, not sudden. - Addendum
• Meaning: An addition to a document
• Sentence: An addendum was added to clarify the contract’s terms.
• Tip: Legal documents often include addendums. - Adjunct
• Meaning: Something added but not essential
• Sentence: The online module is an adjunct to the main course.
• Tip: Often seen in education and business roles. - Acquisitive
• Meaning: Eager to acquire wealth or possessions
• Sentence: The company’s acquisitive nature led to multiple mergers.
• Tip: Watch for tone—sometimes positive (growth) or negative (greedy).
4. Communication & Language
- Adage
• Meaning: A traditional saying
• Sentence: “A stitch in time saves nine” is an old adage.
• Tip: Useful for stylistic comparisons and cultural references. - Acerbic
• Meaning: Sharp or biting in speech or tone
• Sentence: His acerbic remarks offended many colleagues.
• Tip: Signals criticism or sarcasm.
5. Psychology & Sociology
- Addle
• Meaning: To confuse or muddle
• Sentence: The complicated instructions addled the new employee.
• Tip: Associated with confusion or mental struggle. - Addled
• Meaning: Confused; mentally muddled
• Sentence: He gave an addled response under pressure.
• Tip: May describe individuals or processes. - Acuity
• Meaning: Sharpness of mind or senses
• Sentence: Her acuity in negotiations impressed the board.
• Tip: Positive word for intelligence or sharp perception. - Acute
• Meaning: Sharp or intense
• Sentence: The patient experienced acute chest pain.
• Tip: Can describe pain, situations, or mental perception.
6. Science & Technology / Sensory
- Acrid
• Meaning: Strong and unpleasant in smell or taste
• Sentence: The acrid smell of burning plastic filled the room.
• Tip: Also metaphorically describes harsh attitudes.
7. Education & Learning
- Adept
• Meaning: Highly skilled
• Sentence: She is adept at solving complex problems quickly.
• Tip: Appears in positive evaluations. - Adherent
• Meaning: A follower or supporter
• Sentence: He is a firm adherent of environmental conservation.
• Tip: Associated with loyalty and belief systems.
8. General Academic
- Adhesive
• Meaning: A substance that sticks; symbolically, something that causes cohesion
• Sentence: Team spirit served as the adhesive that held the project together.
• Tip: Used metaphorically in discussions of unity or collaboration.
🎯 GMAT Sentence Correction Practice
Q1. Although the company’s initial expansion was slow, profits began to ______ over time.
A) accrue B) accost C) actuate D) addle
Answer: A) accrue
Q2. His ______ tone during the meeting alienated several key investors.
A) acerbic B) acute C) acrid D) adept
Answer: A) acerbic
Q3. The judge must ______ disputes fairly and without bias.
A) admonish B) accost C) adjudicate D) acquiesce
Answer: C) adjudicate
Q4. Despite the difficult situation, she remained ______ in her stance.
A) acrid B) acute C) adamant D) abstruse
Answer: C) adamant
Q5. The proposal included an ______ to address the concerns raised during negotiations.
A) addendum B) accretion C) adhesion D) acquittal
Answer: A) addendum
🎓 GMAT Verbal Tip
Focus on precision in your word choices. The GMAT penalizes awkward phrasing, incorrect tones, and logical inconsistency. Understanding subtle distinctions between similar words (e.g., abstruse vs. absurd) can help eliminate wrong answers quickly.
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