Advanced English Vocabulary Review Groups 1-32

A collection of high-frequency vocabulary terms selected from a 32-group academic word list.

austere

1. (of a person) strict and stern in character 2. (of living conditions) lacking luxury; extremely harsh

capricious

having varying moods; fickle

anachronistic

of the wrong time or era

audacious

1. bold; unafraid of risks 2. rude; exhibiting disrespect

arcane

comprehended by very few people; secret

cacophonous

extremely noisy; grating

ephemeral

extremely short lasting

pedantic

overly concerned with (minor) details

enigmatic

hard to understand; mysterious

panache

a stylish and confident manner

ubiquitous

being everywhere at once

specious

seemingly reasonable but actually wrong

immutable

not capable of being changed

salubrious

1. promoting health or well-being 2. (of a place or accommodation) pleasant

egregious

remarkably bad or shocking, to a conspicuous degree

sanguine

cheerfully optimistic, particularly in a difficult situation

erudite

possessing great knowledge, typically from study or research

irascible

easily angered or irritated

acumen

quickness and keenness in understanding and judgment

fastidious

showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please

ostentatious

showy or designed to impress

panacea

a perfect cure for something

laconic

economical with words; quiet and reserved

onerous

involving a heavy burden; challenging or difficult

numinous

having a spiritual or divine quality

pellucid

1. transparently clear in meaning or style 2. (of a body of water or substance) transparent and clear

adroit

deft, dexterous, or skillful

tantamount

equivalent in effect or value

veracity

conformity to truth or accuracy

scintillating

brilliantly or impressively clever, exciting, amusing or witty

iconoclastic

challenging or overthrowing tradition or established beliefs

ruminate

meditate or reflect; ponder over

dogmatic

insisting on one's ideas without being open to others'

pithy

expressing ideas in a concise, meaningful manner

efficacious

producing the desired effect; successful

prolix

using an excessive amount of words; long-winded

ebullient

cheerful and joyful

mendacity

dishonesty

nascent

in the process of emerging, being born, or starting to develop

providential

happening at a fortunate or opportune time

magnanimous

noble and generous in spirit

paradoxical

seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true

extrapolate

predict by projecting past experience or data

phlegmatic

calm and unemotional disposition

fawn

display exaggerated affection or flattery, usually to gain favor

precipitous

1. extremely steep 2. (of an action) done quickly and without care

quiescent

being at rest; inactive or quiet

subsume

include or contain something else

auspicious

favorable and indicative of good luck

captious

fault-finding (especially petty ones)

equanimity

evenness of mind, especially under stress

exorbitant

going far beyond what is fair, reasonable, or expected

exigent

requiring immediate action or aid; urgent

turpitude

wickedness or moral corruption

abeyance

suspension; temporary suppression

inchoate

recently started but not fully formed yet

apogee

the peak or highest point of something

nadir

the absolute lowest point or worst moment

obdurate

stubborn; unyielding

temerity

reckless boldness or audacity

abrogate

formally cancel or do away with

serendipitous

occurring by chance in a fortunate way

abstruse

difficult to comprehend or understand

ineluctable

inescapable or inevitable