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GRE vocabulary

pith

nounHigh-frequency wordMore P words

the essential or central part of something; the most meaningful core

In a sentence

Pith in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing pith in a sentence.

The editor asked the writer to get to the pith of the argument rather than circling around it.

Stripping away the rhetoric, the editor identified the pith of the author's argument in a single sentence.

Synonyms
essencecoresubstance
Antonyms
peripherytrivialitysuperficiality
Usage & nuance

Using “pith” well

Pith names the essential core of a matter. It also literally means the spongy tissue inside a stem or citrus rind, the source of the figurative sense.

Common questions

Questions about “pith

Pith (noun) means the essential or central part of something; the most meaningful core
Here is pith used in an example sentence: "The editor asked the writer to get to the pith of the argument rather than circling around it." Another example: "Stripping away the rhetoric, the editor identified the pith of the author's argument in a single sentence."
Common synonyms for pith include essence, core, substance.
Antonyms of pith include periphery, triviality, superficiality.
On the GRE, pith clusters with essence, core, and substance, opposing periphery, triviality, and superficiality.
Yes. Pith is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.