Vocabulary List of Advanced English Words

accolade

an award or privilege granted as a special honor or acknowledgment.

admonish

to warn or reprimand someone firmly.

aloof

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

analogous

comparable in certain respects, typically in a way that makes clearer the nature of the things compared.

animosity

strong hostility.

apprehension

anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

arbitrary

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

assiduous

showing great care, attention, and effort

autonomous

having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

beguile

to charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way.

bequeath

to leave a personal estate or one's body to a person or other beneficiary by a will.

bolster

to support or strengthen.

brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.

capacious

having a lot of space inside; roomy.

capitulate

to cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender.

capricious

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.

caustic

able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.

circumscribe

to restrict something within limits.

clemency

mercy; lenience.

complacent

showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

consummate

showing a high degree of skill and flair; complete or perfect.

converge

to come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.

deference

humble submission and respect.

delineate

to describe or portray something precisely.

deplore

to feel or express strong disapproval of something.

despot

a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.

destitute

without the basic necessities of life.

deterrent

a thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something.

diligence

careful and persistent work or effort.

disseminate

to spread or disperse something, especially information.

efface

to erase a mark from a surface.

elusive

difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

emaciated

abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or a lack of food.

enervate

to cause someone to feel drained of energy or vitality.

enmity

the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

evasive

tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly.

fallacious

based on a mistaken belief.

flaccid

soft and hanging loosely or limply, especially so as to look unattractive.

garner

to gather or collect something, especially information or approval.

garrulous

excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

gregarious

fond of company; sociable.

gullible

easily persuaded to believe something; credulous.

haughty

arrogantly superior and disdainful.

hiatus

a pause or break in continuity.

homogeneous

of the same kind; alike.

impetuous

acting or done quickly and without thought or care.

inadvertent

not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning.

incessant

continuing without pause or interruption.

inherent

existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.

insidious

proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.

intrinsic

belonging naturally; essential.

juxtapose

to place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.

jocular

fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful.

judicious

having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense.

loquacious

tending to talk a great deal; talkative.

lucid

expressed clearly; easy to understand.

lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal.

meager

lacking in quantity or quality.

mellifluous

sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.

mendacity

untruthfulness.

misconstrue

to interpret (something, especially a person's words or actions) wrongly.

mundane

lacking interest or excitement; dull.

myriad

a countless or extremely great number.

neophyte

a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.

notoriety

the state of being famous or well known for some bad quality or deed.

nuance

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.

obviate

to remove (a need or difficulty).

opaque

not able to be seen through; not transparent.

opulence

great wealth or luxuriousness.

onerous

involving a great deal of effort, trouble, or difficulty.

paltry

small or meager.

parity

the state or condition of being equal, especially regarding status or pay.

partisan

a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person.

perfunctory

carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.

petulance

the quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

potent

having great power, influence, or effect.

precarious

not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.

prudent

acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

querulous

complaining in a petulant or whining manner.

quell

to put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force.

rampant

flourishing or spreading unchecked.

recant

to say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical.

redundant

not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous.

relegate

to assign to a lower position.

reticent

not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.

rudimentary

involving or limited to basic principles.

sanguine

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.

sectarian

denoting or concerning a sect or sects.

sententious

given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.

sonorous

capable of producing a deep or ringing sound.

spurious

not being what it purports to be; false or fake.

superfluous

unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.

timorous

showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence.

torpid

mentally or physically inactive; lethargic.

trite

overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness.

vacuous

having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless.

verbose

using more words than are needed.

vociferous

Loud and forceful in expressing opinions.

zealous

showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.