The Oxford 5000™ Vocabulary Core Word List

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary from The Oxford 5000 core word list, focusing on advanced B2 and C1 level terms across many fields including law, science, and social sciences.

The Oxford 5000™

An expanded core word list for advanced learners of English, consisting of the Oxford 3000 plus an additional 2000 words at the B2-C1 level.

B2-C1 level

The specific proficiency levels in English for which the additional 2000 words in the Oxford 5000 list are intended.

Abolish

(v. C1) To formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution.

Accountability

(n. C1) The fact or condition of being required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsibility.

Acquisition

(n. C1) The act of obtaining or receiving something, or the item that has been obtained.

Advocate

(n., v. C1) A person who publicly supports a cause, or the act of publicly recommending a particular policy.

Allegation

(n. C1) A claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically made without proof.

Analogy

(n. C1) A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Arbitrary

(adj. C1) Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

Asset

(n. B2) A useful or valuable thing, person, or quality.

Atrocity

(n. C1) An extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or injury.

Ballot

(n. C1) A system or occasion of secret voting, usually in writing.

Benchmark

(n. C1) A standard or point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed.

Bias

(n. B2) Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in an unfair way.

Breakthrough

(n. C1) A sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.

Bureaucracy

(n. C1) A system of government or management in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Capability

(n. C1) The power or ability to do something.

Chaos

(n. C1) A state of complete confusion and disorder.

Coalition

(n. C1) A temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action.

Cognitive

(adj. C1) Relating to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning.

Compensation

(n. C1) Something, typically money, awarded to someone as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering.

Consensus

(n. C1) A general agreement among a group of people.

Constraint

(n. C1) A limitation or restriction on something.

Conviction

(n. C1) A formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense, made by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge.

Debris

(n. C1) Scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed.

Defy

(v. C1) To openly resist or refuse to obey.

Depict

(v. C1) To represent or show something in the form of a picture, story, or other art form.

Dilemma

(n. C1) A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives.

Diversity

(n. B2) The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different backgrounds.

Efficiency

(n. C1) The state or quality of being productive and achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

Elite

(n. C1) A group or class of people seen as having the greatest power and influence within a society.

Empirical

(adj. C1) Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

Entity

(n. C1) A thing with distinct and independent existence.

Equation

(n. C1) A statement that the values of two mathematical expressions are equal, indicated by the sign $=$.

Explicit

(adj. C1) Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.

Facilitate

(v. C1) To make an action or process easy or easier.

Fiscal

(adj. C1) Relating to government revenue, especially taxes.

Framework

(n. B2) A basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text.

Globalization

(n. B2) The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

Hierarchy

(n. C1) A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.

Hypothesis

(n. B2) A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Indigenous

(adj. C1) Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

Infrastructure

(n. B2) The basic physical and organizational structures (e.g., buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society.

Inherent

(adj. C1) Existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.

Integration

(n. C1) The action or process of combining two or more things to form a whole.

Jurisdiction

(n. C1) The official power to make legal decisions and judgments.

Legitimate

(adj. C1) Conforming to the law or to rules; able to be defended with logic or justification.

Methodology

(n. C1) A system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.

Negotiation

(n. B2) Discussion aimed at reaching an agreement.

Perception

(n. B2) The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses; a way of regarding or understanding something.

Protocol

(n. C1) The official system of rules or procedures governing affairs of state, diplomatic occasions, or digital data exchange.

Ratio

(n. C1) The quantitative relation between two amounts showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other, such as $\frac{a}{b}$.

Rational

(adj. C1) Based on or in accordance with reason or logic.

Spectrum

(n. C1) A used to classify something, or suggest that it can be classified, in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme or opposite points.

Sustainable

(adj. B2) Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level; involving the use of natural products and energy in a way that does not harm the environment.

Validity

(n. C1) The quality of being logically or factually sound; soundness or cogency.

Vulnerable

(adj. C1) Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.