Learning a language is much more than memorizing vocabulary. While having a robust stock of words will help, memorizing the entries in a foreign dictionary isn’t what language learning is about.
Even if you memorize the pronunciation and meaning of 1,000 words, that doesn’t mean you’ll know how to use all of them. Heck, you’ll probably struggle recalling them when you hear the words used by somebody else.
A better idea is to memorize words in context. That way, you don’t just commit individual vocabulary items to memory — you learn them in the exact way that they are used in actual interactions. Coupled with using the vocabulary items in actual sentences, you’re looking at an effective way to build up your second language skills. Chances are, you can carry on a rough, but tolerable, interaction with just 100 words learned in this manner.
Contrast this to memorizing a random list of words that carry no significance. Even if you manage to rattle them off one after another, you’re not likely to find them of much use, unless you’re taking a test where you match a word with its definition. While the amount of items in your vocabulary does matter, more isn’t necessarily better. Getting to know each item intimately and learning how to use them should serve you better.