Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

drought

nounHigh-frequency wordMore D words

a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to a water shortage

Word origin: From Old English drugath, dryness.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Drought in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing drought in a sentence.

The drought devastated the farming communities across the region for three consecutive summers.

The prolonged drought forced farmers across the region to abandon their winter planting.

Synonyms
drynessaridityscarcity
Antonyms
flooddelugeabundance

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

Although she had every reason to gloat after the verdict, the attorney remained blank, accepting the win without a hint of boastfulness.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “drought” well

Drought literally denotes an extended rainfall shortage but extends figuratively to any prolonged scarcity, as in a drought of new ideas. Note the spelling, which often trips up writers.

Common questions

Questions about “drought”

Drought (noun) means a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to a water shortage
Here is drought used in an example sentence: "The drought devastated the farming communities across the region for three consecutive summers." Another example: "The prolonged drought forced farmers across the region to abandon their winter planting."
Common synonyms for drought include dryness, aridity, scarcity.
Antonyms of drought include flood, deluge, abundance.
Clusters with dryness, aridity, and scarcity in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms flood, deluge, and abundance supply the contrast.
Yes. Drought is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.