Level: C1
Smart Words List
Advanced English vocabulary for learners who want to sound more fluent and precise — each word with a clear, simple definition.
- affable – friendly and easy to talk to
- affinity – a natural liking for something or someone
- affliction – something that causes pain or trouble
- affluent – having a lot of money; rich
- alacrity – quick and eager readiness
- alleviate – to make something less bad or less painful
- ambiguous – having more than one meaning; not clear
- ambivalent – having mixed feelings about something
- amiable – friendly and pleasant
- animosity – strong dislike or hatred
- annex – to add or take over land
- apocryphal – probably not true; doubtful
- apprehensive – fearful that something bad is about to happen
- aqueous – like water; watery
- arduous – very difficult; needing a lot of effort
- aroma – a pleasant smell
- atone – to do something to make up for a mistake
- attrition – a slow loss or reduction
- avarice – a strong desire for money; greed
- bellicose – ready to fight; aggressive
- belligerent – angry and ready to fight
- beneficiary – someone who gets help or money from something
- brazen – bold and without shame
- brusque – very direct and rude
- capricious – changing often and quickly; not steady
- charisma – a special charm or appeal
- chastise – to punish or criticize
- cognitive – related to thinking or knowing
- coherent – clear and easy to understand
- complicity – being involved in a bad or illegal act
- comprehensive – covering everything; complete
- concoct – to make or invent, often by mixing
- condone – to accept or forgive bad behavior
- congenial – agreeable and well suited to your taste
- congenital – existing from birth
- consensus – general agreement
- contiguous – touching or next to each other
- convivial – friendly and lively
- cryptic – mysterious or hard to understand
- culpable – deserving blame
- curtail – to cut short or reduce
- dangle – to hang loosely
- dearth – a lack or shortage of something
- deference – respect and politeness
- delineate – to describe or show clearly
- derogatory – showing a lack of respect
- diligent – working hard and carefully
- disparage – to say bad things about someone or something
- docile – quiet and easy to control
- doleful – sad or unhappy
- dormant – not active now but able to become active
- drought – a long period with little or no rain
- dubious – doubtful; not sure
- dumbfound – to shock or surprise greatly
- duplicity – dishonesty; saying one thing but meaning another
- eccentric – strange or unusual in behavior
- efface – to erase or remove
- egocentric – thinking only about oneself
- elucidate – to make clear; to explain
- eminent – famous and respected
- enchant – to make someone feel great delight; to charm
- endeavor – to try hard to do something
- enigma – a person or thing that no one can explain
- enthrall – to completely hold someone's attention
- esoteric – understood only by a few people
- exacerbate – to make something worse
- extol – to praise highly
- extraneous – not needed; extra
- felicity – great happiness
- fidelity – being loyal or faithful
- flagrant – very bad and easily noticed
- flimsy – weak or easy to break
- frugal – careful about spending money
- futile – useless; not successful
- gaudy – too bright or showy
- ghastly – very shocking or horrible
- gluttony – eating or drinking too much
- gratuitous – not needed; given freely
- gregarious – enjoying being with other people
- grumble – to complain in a quiet way
- haughty – thinking you are better than others
- heterogeneous – made of different kinds
- homogeneous – all the same or similar
- hypocrisy – saying you believe one thing but doing another
- imminent – happening very soon
- impediment – something that makes it hard to do something
- indigenous – native; coming from a particular place
- indulgent – allowing yourself or others to have what they want
- ingenuous – honest and open
- inherent – naturally a part of something
- insatiate – never satisfied; always wanting more
- instigate – to start something, usually something bad
- intrepid – very brave; not afraid
- irate – very angry
- jeopardy – danger
- laconic – using few words
- lament – to express sadness or regret
- latent – present but not active
- lithe – able to bend easily; flexible
- lurid – shocking or sensational
- leash – a rope or strap for holding an animal
- loafer – a person who avoids work
- lucrative – making a lot of money
- lustrous – shiny or bright
- malign – to say bad things about someone
- meddle – to get involved in something that is not your business
- mend – to fix or repair
- mendacious – not telling the truth; lying
- minuscule – very small
- mirth – happiness and laughter
- munificent – very generous
- nausea – a sick feeling in your stomach
- neglect – to not care for something or someone
- nihilism – the belief that life has no meaning
- nocturnal – active at night
- nominal – very small; in name only
- notorious – famous for something bad
- noxious – harmful or poisonous
- nuance – a slight difference in meaning or feeling
- oblique – not direct or straightforward
- obscure – not well known; hard to understand
- officious – too eager to give unwanted help
- opaque – not letting light through; hard to understand
- parsimonious – not willing to spend money; stingy
- pejorative – a word or phrase that shows disapproval
- perch – a place where a bird rests; to sit or stand on something high
- pervade – to spread through all parts of something
- petulant – easily annoyed or upset
- philanthropy – helping others, especially by giving money
- philistine – a person who does not care about culture or the arts
- pillage – to steal things by force, especially during war
- plethora – a very large amount of something
- ponderous – slow and heavy; boring
- postulate – to suggest or accept something as true
- precipitous – very steep or sudden
- precursor – something that comes before another thing
- presumptuous – too confident; doing something without permission
- prevail – to win or be successful after a struggle
- prodigious – very large or impressive
- prodigy – a young person who is very talented
- proliferate – to increase quickly
- prolific – producing a lot of something
- proprietary – owned by someone as property
- provident – careful and wise about the future
- proximity – nearness in space or time
- prudent – careful and wise
- quashed – stopped or ended by force
- quenching – satisfying thirst; putting out a fire
- rancor – strong and bitter anger
- reciprocal – given and received in return
- reclusive – preferring to be alone
- renaissance – a new growth or interest in something
- replenish – to fill up again
- reproach – to criticize or blame
- reticent – not willing to speak or share thoughts
- reverberate – to echo or repeat as a sound
- revere – to respect deeply
- rigor – strictness or difficulty
- rotundity – roundness in shape
- rudimentary – basic; simple and not advanced
- salvage – to save from being lost or destroyed
- scattered – spread out in different directions
- scrupulous – very careful to do what is right
- sentient – able to feel or perceive
- serendipity – finding something good without looking for it
- shatter – to break into many pieces
- shunned – avoided or rejected
- sketchy – not complete; not very detailed
- sporadic – happening sometimes but not regularly
- squander – to waste (money, time, etc.)
- stagnation – not moving or changing
- stifled – unable to breathe well; held back
- strive – to try very hard
- subjugate – to bring under control by force
- sublime – very beautiful or excellent
- succumb – to give in; to stop resisting
- superfluous – more than is needed
- surreptitious – done secretly
- taciturn – not talking much
- tangible – able to be touched or felt; real
- tantalize – to tease with something you can’t have
- tenacious – not giving up easily
- tentative – not certain; could change
- torpid – not active; sluggish
- treacherous – dangerous or not trustworthy
- tremor – a small shaking movement
- tyro – a beginner
- uproar – a lot of noise and confusion
- vanity – too much pride in your looks or abilities
- vehemence – strong feeling or passion
- venerate – to respect or honor
- verisimilitude – the appearance of being true or real
- vestige – a small remaining part of something
- vigilance – being watchful and careful
- vilify – to say bad things about someone
- vindicate – to prove someone is right
- visionary – having clear ideas about the future
- vitriolic – full of angry and cruel comments
- volatile – likely to change suddenly; unstable
- voluptuous – full and attractive in shape
- wan – pale and weak
- wile – a trick to fool someone
- wrinkle – a small line or fold in the skin or fabric