English Vocabulary: Advanced Word List

definition

markedly different from an accepted norm.

a deviation from what is normal or expected.

choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable) Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar--even chocolate.

difficult to understand; incomprehensible.

refusing to change one's mind.

to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding.

serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective.

one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature.

concerned with the appreciation of beauty.

a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

a mixture of multiple things.

open to more than one interpretation.

mixed or conflicting emotions about something.

make something bad better.

easily persuaded.

shapeless.

not normal.

something that is not normal, standard, or expected.

an intense feeling of dislike or aversion.

sharply contrasted in character or purpose.

marked by a lack of interest.

an absence of emotion or enthusiasm.

being of questionable authenticity.

pacify by acceding to the demands of.

based on a random, groundless decision.

requiring secret or mysterious knowledge.

demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

exhibiting artistic skill.

clever in a cunning way.

practicing self-denial.

one who practices great self-denial.

with a look of suspicion or disapproval.

willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks.

aggressive boldness in social situations.

favorable, the opposite of sinister.

practicing self-denial.

unadorned in style or appearance.

harsh in manner of temperament.

excessively greedy.

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse.

a trite or obvious remark.

to give a false representation to; misrepresent.

characteristic of one eager to fight.

to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally.

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.

support and strengthen.

unrestrained by convention or propriety.

relating to the pleasant aspects of the country.

lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands Within a week of starting, the bumbling new waiter was unceremoniously fired.

grow and flourish.

making of a false statement meant to injure a person"s reputation.

determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

to reprimand harshly.

to express strong disapproval.

to reprimand harshly.

to chuckle, laugh merrily.

restrict or confine.

cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations.

to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount The convicted felon's life sentence was commensurate to the heinousness of his crime.

acknowledge defeat I concede.

admit (to a wrongdoing).

give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another.

be confusing or perplexing to.

mistake one thing for another.

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious.

a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes The mayor's constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election.

an abstract part of something.

interpreted in a particular way.

a gathering of persons representative of some larger group.

possible but not certain to occur.

the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad.

to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery.

in abundant supply.

pathetically cowardly.

mysterious or vague, usually intentionally.

reach the highest or most decisive point.

a state of guilt.

characterized by good taste in manners and conduct.

propriety in manners and conduct.

showing respect.

harmful to living things.

describe in detail.

to object or show reluctance.

charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone.

be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning.

(or a creative product, e.

come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example.

reason by deduction; establish by deduction.

expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.

instructive (especially excessively).

showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence.

wasting time.

an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge.

discontented as toward authority.

constituting a separate entity or part.

unbiased; neutral.

unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice.

cause to become widely known.

highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct.

compulsory force or threat.

comprised of a variety of styles.

avoiding waste, efficient.

enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement.

producing the intended result.

standing out in negative way; shockingly bad.

call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses).

make clearer and easier to understand.

standing above others in quality or position.

to sap energy from.

give rise to.

fixed firmly or securely.

lasting a very short time.

confusing or ambiguous.

to completely destroy.

having or showing profound knowledge.

avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of.

confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle.

to adopt or support an idea or cause.

make worse.

requiring and demanding accuracy.

praise or glorify.

pronounce not guilty of criminal charges.

add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth.

the opposite of extinct.

of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning.

overly concerned with details; fussy.

a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.

try to stir up public opinion.

marked by or showing hopelessness.

available when required or as promised.

at ease in talking to others.

occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause.

not serious in content or attitude or behavior.

not spending much money (but spending wisely).

hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of.

marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.

deny or contradict; speak against or oppose.

the trait of being rude and impertinent.

feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will.

to excite or inspire (someone) to action.

full of trivial conversation.

lacking social polish.

relevant and appropriate.

an excessive supply.

supply with an excess of.

characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy.

to be likely to socialize with others.

free of deceit.

lacking significance through having been overused.

marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard.

a long pompous speech; a tirade.

to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade.

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances.

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy.

dominance over a certain area.

a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion).

somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.

defying tradition or convention.

a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual.

dishonorable.

(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame.

not able to be changed.

free from undue bias or preconceived opinions.

being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold.

incapable of making less angry or hostile.

describing a statement that is not believable.

not wise.

improperly forward or bold.

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions.

lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness.

impervious to correction by punishment.

not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society.

the trait of seeming not to care.

impossible to stop or prevent.

to be naà ̄ve and innocent.

gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts.

hostile (usually describes conditions or environments).

harmless and doesn"t produce any ill effects.

not easily understood; unfathomable.

working in a subtle but destructive way.

rude and arrogant.

to suggest something subtly.

unwilling to change one's beliefs or course of action.

fearless.

habitual.

complicated, and difficult to comprehend.

incapable of being retracted or revoked.

traveling from place to place to work Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients' homes.

fanatical patriotism.

full of or showing high-spirited merriment.

full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

place side by side.

one who says very few words.

criticize severely or angrily.

not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed.

extreme generosity and giving.

worthy of high praise.

assign great social importance to.

noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful.

to assert.

clumsy.

someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action.

overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting.

the tendency to be untruthful.

(of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood.

marked by extreme care in treatment of details.

interpret in the wrong way.

make less severe or harsh.

lessen the severity of an offense.

to make someone angry less angry; placate.

repetitive and boring; not spiritual.

relating to the ordinary world.

very generous.

lacking foresight or imagination.

a large indefinite number.

so small as to be meaningless; insignificant.

unsure how to act or respond.

a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude.

make unclear.

known by only a few.

attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.

not clearly understood or expressed.

wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living.

intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar.

exclude from a community or group.

distinctive and stylish elegance.

narrowly restricted in scope or outlook.

extremely frugal; miserly.

marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

lacking imagination.

expressing disapproval (usu.

an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust.

exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

easily irritated or annoyed.

cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of.

a trite or obvious remark.

emotionally touching.

a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

assume as fact.

guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory.

done with very great haste and without due deliberation.

keep from happening or arising; make impossible.

characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude).

a strong liking.

the power to foresee the future.

to speak in an evasive way.

rashly or wastefully extravagant.

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe.

spending money recklessly or wastefully.

someone who spends money recklessly or wastefully.

intellectually productive.

presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.

characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated Maggie's enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.

someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field.

to be legally competent or capable.

to make less severe; to limit (a statement).

habitually complaining.

found in the ordinary course of events.

extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities.

criticize severely or angrily; censure.

make (one thing) compatible with (another).

difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge.

stubbornly resistant to authority or control.

prove to be false or incorrect.

to express criticism towards.

reject as untrue or unfounded.

cancel officially.

restless.

rising again as to new life and vigor.

reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.

feeling or showing profound respect or veneration.

being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles.

characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial.

give authority or permission to.

a legal penalty for a forbidden action.

characterized by extreme care and great effort.

having a sense of right and wrong; principled.

inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing.

based on pretense; deceptively pleasing Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted.

plausible but false.

recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances.

plausible but false.

firm and dependable especially in loyalty.

demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.

contain or include.

consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle.

in opposition to a civil authority or government.

showing a brooding ill humor.

serving no useful purpose.

more than is needed, desired, or required Everything in this closet is superfluous and can be given to charity.

take the place or move into the position of.

a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.

habitually reserved and uncommunicative.

being essentially equal to something.

the trait of avoiding excesses.

moderated in effect.

stubbornly unyielding.

timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness.

inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy.