Advanced Vocabulary: Definitions and Contexts for Independent Learners

Adjunct

Something or someone added to a larger, more important thing as a supplemental, part-time, or secondary part.

Bellwether

A person, company, or event that serves as a reliable indicator or predictor of future events

Caterwaul

A loud high-pitched, and unpleasant noise.

Chimerical

Existing only as a wildly imaginative or unrealistic dream rather than reality.

Effete

Weak, worn out, or lacking wholesome energy and power.

Fait Accompli

Something that has already been done or decided and cannot be changed.

Hidebound

Someone or something stubbornly stuck in the past, rigid, and unwilling to change traditional methods or ideas

Hierarchy

System where people, items, or concepts are arranged in ranks or levels based on importance, status, or authority

Liturgy

Customary public ritual and official form of worship performed by a religious group.

Mirage

Optical phenomenon where light rays end through layers of air at different temperatures to create a false image.

Morass

A literal area of soft, wet, muddy ground (like a swamp or bog), or a figurative, complicated situation that is hard to escape or make progress through

Noisome

Very offensive, disgusting, or foul-smelling

Oblivious

Lacking conscious awareness, attention, or knowledge of something happening around you

Poltroon

An utter coward or a mean-spirited, spineless person

Proselyte

A person who has recently converted from one religion, belief, political party, or cause to another

Quasi

Something is almost, but not completely, a certain type of thing or concept

Raillery

Good-natured, friendly teasing, joking, or lighthearted banter

Ribald

Referring to sexual matters or taboo subjects in a rude, earthy, yet amusing manner

Supine

Lying flat on your back with your face and torso pointing upward | Lazy, passive, and indifferent

Vignette

A short, descriptive piece of writing, music, film, or art that captures a single moment or distinct characteristic without focusing on a traditional plot