1|Advanced Grammar and Vocabulary Advanced Voc.

Advanced Vocabulary List

Word Meaning Example

Accommodation A room to stay in or other When I go on business trips,
place to stay; the act of the accommodations my
accommodation company pays for are usually
quite bad.

There is widespread apathy

Apathy Lack of interest or concern. among the school staff.

Strict; restrictive; rigid; Mary has been on a stringent

Stringent severe. diet for months.

It was naive of me to think

Naive Lacking experience. that the governor actually
cared about the people living
in his state.

Mercenary A professional soldier hired The war was fought mostly

to serve in a foreign army. by mercenaries.

Impair To weaken; to affect

negatively.
You don't have to have a lot
Frugal Thrifty; economical. of money to travel if you are
frugal.

When the weather is gloomy,

Gloomy; drepressing; dreary. I have a hard time getting
Dismal motivated to do anything.

To cause the sudden loss of We were dismayed by the

Dismay courage; to cause the feeling president's policy reversal.

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of consternation and distress.

Adverse Unfavorable; harmful. Adverse weather conditions

will not stop Max from going
fishing.

Vocation Employment; occupation; It is important to choose a

avocation; calling; business; vocation that you enjoy.
trade
Savor To enjoy or appreciate the Homer savored every bite of
taste or smell of something. the chocolate donut.

Some of the patrons

Patron A customer complained to the waiter
about the quality of the food.

A person who publicly Max is an advocate for

Advocate supports something or animal rights.
someone.
The police officer queried the
Query To ask, inquire. drivers involved in the
accident.

One who contributes to a The Red Cross sent a letter of

Donor cause or fund. gratitude to all of the donors.

Exempt Free from a duty or Most churches are exempt

obligation. from paying taxes.

Destiny A predetermined state; fate. Max considered it his destiny

to die poor and alone.

Diminish To make smaller or less or to

cause to appear so. Max laughed at Mary's award
and tried to diminish the
award's importance.

Emulation The imitation or copying of

someone.

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We hoped that the president

Endeavor To try very hard to achieve would endeavor to help the
something. people.

Everything seemed normal

Anachronism (Noun) Someone or something that except for the anachronism
belongs in another place in of the man riding a horse
time down the street. One country
colonizing another country is
an anachronism in today's
global environment.

(adjective) sly, clever, Many politicians employ

Wily cunning (usually deceitfully). teams of wily advisors to help
them skirt the law.

The current concentration of

Pernicious (Adjective) harmful, deadly ownership of media has had
a pernicious effect on
democracy in the US.

I am the most lucid right

Lucid (Adjective) clear, clear headed after a cup of coffee. His style
of writing was very clear and
lucid.

Antecedent (Noun) something that precedes Pronouns usually refer to

another thing, especially the antecedents.
cause of the second thing
Exonerate (Verb) to absolve from blame, to I am confident that I will be
prove innocent fully exonerated if I'm given a
fair trial.

Debacle (Noun) a terrible failure By most accounts, the war in

Iraq has been a tremendous
debacle.

Fickle (Adjective) changing frequently Kids are sometimes very

fickle and may have a new
favorite food every week.

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Wary (Adjective) cautious; leery The children were very wary

of the stranger and would
not let him into the house.

Lucrative (Adjective) producing a great deal of Max told me that ESL was a
profit very lucrative field, and I
believed him.

Our summer plans are still

Tentative (Adjective) not certain or fixed tentative. I think we are
going to go camping in the
mountains.

Whether the tooth fairy is

Moot (Adjective) subject to debate, unsettled. male or female is a moot
point. No one knows.

Max was amazingly spry for

Spry (Adjective) active; lively an old man.

Nina would not marry

Opulence (Noun) wealth and luxury Charlie, for he had no money,
and she was not willing to
settle for anything less than a
life of opulence.

Every year economic

Disparity (Noun) a state of inequality, a great disparities in the world grow
difference larger and larger.

Shortly after Max and Mary

Spite (Noun) a desire to hurt, annoy, broke up, Mary scratched
vengeance Max's car out of spite.

Many politicians' sole

Shirk (Verb) avoid, ignore or neglect purpose is to shirk their
responsibility duties and make as much
money as possible.

Facilitate (Verb) to make easier The teachers put some of

their course materials on the

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Internet to facilitate resource

sharing.

Opportunist (Noun) a person who pursues and Most politicians are

exploits any kind of opportunists who will jump
opportunity without being at any advantage without any
guided by principles, plans or ethical considerations.
any ethical considerations
Richie Rich received his
Fraudulent (Adjective) dishonest, deceptive wealth through fraudulent
means.

The politician's attempts to

Ludicrous (Adjective) Laughable. cover up his crimes were
ludicrous.

Voter turnout is quite low

Apathy (Noun) a lack of interest or because of widespread
enthusiasm. apathy among the voters.

in a joking manner; treating When I said that I agreed

Facetious (Adjective) serious matters with with the President's policies,
deliberately inappropriate I was just being facetious.
humor

Fast-food and sedentary

Sedentary (Adjective) inactive; spending much time lifestyles are major factors in
seated the obesity problem in the
US.

Max was convicted of petty

Petty (Adjective) unimportant or trivial. theft.

Many politicians have been

Indict (Verb) to charge with a crime. indicted recently, and many
more will probably be
indicted soon.

Diligent (Adjective) conscientiously hard- As a result of their diligent

working. research, the scientists were
able to find a cure for the
disease.

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Mary could not stand Max's

Inane (Adjective) Empty and pointless. inane questions any longer,
so she left.

There was a tremendous

Discord (Noun) disagreement or conflict amount of discord among the
PTA officers.

Because of her zeal for

Zeal (Noun) passion, or enthusiasm chocolate, Mary got a job at
(usually in pursuit of a cause the chocolate factory as a
or objective) chocolate taster.

When Max and Mary moved

Tacit (Adjective) understood or implied but in together as roommates,
not specifically expressed. they had a tacit agreement
that they would share
expenses.

The most salient feature of

Salient (Adjective) Most noticeable, important, Mary's appearance is her
prominent, or conspicuous Purple hair.

My dog has a very placid

Placid (Adjective) tranquil, peaceful, calm temperament. She does not
get upset easily.

As a child, Max was

Ostracize (Verb) to exclude from a group ostracized by the other kids
in his school because he
wore different clothes.

Pensive (Adjective) Deep in thought or reflection. Max must be in a very

pensive mood today. He
hasn't said anything all day.
Cryptic (Adjective) mysterious, secret, or Mary's comments were so
obscure in meaning cryptic that I had no idea
what she was saying.
Vilify (Verb) to write or speak badly or Max was vilified in all of the
abusively about newspapers.

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Staunch (Adjective) strong, loyal and committed Mary is one of Max's

in attitude staunchest supporters.

Malice (Noun) the desire to hurt others Max has a great amount of
malice towards the
government.

The politician was very upset

Impugn (Verb) criticize; dispute the truth; as she felt that her character
call into question had been impugned.

Dichotomy (Noun) a division into two groups or There is a sharp dichotomy of

parts or two opposing opinion on Max's ability to
viewpoints lead the government.

Disdain (Noun) contempt Max has nothing but disdain

for people like Mary.

For some hot dog

Conundrum (Noun) a confusing problem or aficionados, why there are
question many different varieties of
mustard but relatively few
varieties of ketchup is a
conundrum to ponder.
When you sign the mortgage
Scrutinize (Verb) to look over or inspect papers, be sure to scrutinize
closely the fine print.

Plausible (Adjective) believable, possible It doesn't seem plausible that

your dog actually ate your
homework
Exploit (Verb) to make use of, take The policy of some
advantage of (unfairly profit corporations is to hire
from) employees right out of school
in order to exploit their
eagerness and enthusiasm.

Penchant (Noun) a strong habitual fondness Max has a penchant for

for something coffee and doughnuts.

Impeccable (Adjective) perfect, flawless Max is a person of

impeccable character.

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Gullible (Adjective) easily persuaded to believe Max is so gullible. He

something believed me when I told him
that I was running for
president of the US.
The story that Max
Concoct (Verb) to make by combining concocted as an excuse for
different ingredients, create not doing his homework was
or devise preposterous but
entertaining.
There is little support globally
Unilateral (Adjective) performed by a single for a particular country
person, group or country (an taking unilateral action
action or decision) against another country.

Sentiment (Noun) an opinion I agree with your sentiment

regarding global warming.

Rebuke (Verb) to express sstrong criticism Mary rebuked her children

or disapproval of (someone) for not cleaning their
bedrooms.

Credence (Noun) belief that or acceptance that I don't give much credence to
something is true Max's stories.

Disengage (Verb) to detach or separate from Many people are pushing for
something the country to disengage its
military from foreign lands.

Devise (Adjective) to plan or invent John devised a plan for a sure

victory.

Expedite (Verb) to make something happen Max called the cable

sooner (usually an action or company to see if they could
process) expedite the installation
process.
Many of the staunchest
Repudiate (Verb) to reject as false supporters of
neoconservatism have now
repudiated neoconservatism
as a complete failure. They

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claim that neoconservatism is

dead.

Pacifist (Noun) a person who does not Max got out of serving in the
believe in war or violence. military by claiming that he
was a pacifist.

Misanthrope (Noun) a person who dislikes people Mary is a misanthrope. She

and avoids people hates being around people.

Max is a very gregarious

Gregarious (Adjective) sociable, outgoing person. He likes to be around
people.

Many politicians are in

Flagrant (Adjective) outrageous or conspicuously flagrant violation of the law.
offensive The basketball player
committed a flagrant foul.

If I had been more frugal, I

Frugal (Adjective) thrifty, economical could have saved enough
money to buy a new car.

Astute (Adjective) shrewd, or having the ability Max is a very astute

to accurately assess businessman. He has a very
situations or people for one's keen mind for making
own advantage. business deals.

Max will probably escape

Tangible (Adjective) touchable, perceptible by punishment for his crimes
touch because there is no tangible
evidence to make a case
against him.

Noam Chomsky is a very

Prolific (Adjective) very productive prolific author. He's written
many books and articles.

Candor (Noun) the quality of openness and In all candor, I think that Max
honesty in attitude and is a complete nincompoop.
expression

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Finagle (Verb) to get something through Max finagled his way into the
manipulation or dishonest sold out Britney Spears
means concert. I don't know how he
did it (or why).
Because Max is so
Effeminate (Adjective) feminine, unmanly effeminate, he was often
picked on in school. The
other kids called him a sissy.

Copious (Adjective) plentiful, abundant in supply We drank copious amounts

of coffee in order to stay
awake during class.

Morale (Noun) the state of spirit of a person The soldier's morale is

or group extremely low.

Wealthy; having a large

Affluent amount of money Only the most affluent
individuals can afford a
Lamborghini.

found the door ajar, and I

Slightly open or almost stood a moment gazing at
Ajar closed: said of a door. the hateful man who claimed
a right to rule me, body and
soul. - Incidents in the Life of
a Slave Girl

Boardshorts are not

Appropriate Suitable; befitting; proper. appropriate attire for the
office.

To excite into action; stir or They would send agents and

put in motion or exertion; emissaries about the
awaken: as, to arouse kingdom to arouse, and
Arouse attention; to arouse one encourage, and assemble
from sleep; to arouse such Saxon forces as were
dormant faculties. yet to be found. - King Alfred
of England

Augment To add to; increase

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I teach English in the

evenings to augment my
family's income.

Corruption is a product of
Excessive desire for wealth; avarice and thirst for power.
Avarice extreme greed

The police set up a barricade

Something that serves as an to keep voters away from the
Barricade obstacle; a barrier polling stations.

People from urban areas

Urban (adjective) related to or have very different political
located in the city views from people in rural
areas.
I am absolutely bewildered
Bewilder To confuse or befuddle by the new tax forms. I have
no idea how to fill them out.

Bitter Having or being a taste that is The coffee was too bitter for
sharp, acrid, and unpleasant. Max. He had to add a lot of
sugar
Anecdote (Noun) At the party Charles told
a short, interesting story some humorous anecdotes
about his days in the military.

Fortify The government intended to

(Verb) strengthen, reinforce fortify the levees surrounding
New Orleans.

Isolate set apart or cut off from The hospital isolated the
(Verb) others, separate patients with bird flu to help
prevent an outbreak.

Illuminate shine light on something, The new street lights were

(Verb) light up something not powerful enough to
illuminate the street
sufficiently.

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Erratic irregular, unsteady, random; The man's erratic behavior

(Adjective) prone to unexpected changes made everybody on the flight
nervous.

The doctor had to take

Drastic (Adjective) extreme, severe drastic measures to save the
patient's life

Candid (Adjective) straightforward, open and I had a very candid discussion

sincere, honest with Max about his drinking
problem.

Avert turn aside, or away; as, to We did everything we could

(Verb) avert the eyes from an to avert the disaster, but it
object; to ward off, or was not enough.
prevent, the occurrence or
effects of

Dialogue Conversation between 2 or The action in the movie was

(Noun) more people. very exciting, but the
dialogue was incredibly bad.

Arrogant showing too much self- Many political and business

(Adjective) importance or self-worth; leaders are very arrogant.
overbearing pride

Overt open and observable; not The politician's disregard for

(Adjective) secret or concealed the law was quite overt.

Novice a person new to an activity, a You are pretty good for a

(Noun) beginner novice.

Lenient easygoing, lax, tolerant of The teacher accused Bobby's

(Adjective) deviation, permissive, not parents of being too lenient
strict with Bobby.

Menace a possible threat or danger Leaders with too much

(Noun) power can become a menace
to the world.

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Aspire to hope or dream; especially Pinocchio aspired to become

(Verb) to hope or work towards a a real boy.
profession or occupation

Compel force, constrain or coerce; The soldiers were compelled

(Verb) sway to fight in the war.

Concise short, brief, not verbose; Please write a concise essay

(Adjective) clear and succinct on the meaning of life.

Illusion a false impression, something The magician seems to saw

(Noun) that seems to be something his assistant in half, but it is
that it is not just an illusion.

Impose establish or apply by The government imposes

(Verb) authority; force something taxes on the poor to pay for
on someone; selfishly bother social programs for the rich.

Abet To approve, encourage, and Max is in prison for aiding

support (an action or a plan and abetting Mary with her
of action); urge and help on. bank robbery.

Blend To combine (varieties or Max blends protein powder

grades) to obtain a mixture with apple juice.
of a particular character,
quality, or consistency
Bicker To argue about unimportant Max and Mary bicker
matters. constantly.

Politicians are quick to assign

Blame responsibility for something blame, but they refuse to
bad accept it.

Ample Plentiful; enough or more I just went grocery shopping,

than enough. so we should have ample
food for the rest of the week.
Baffle To perplex or confuse. I am baffled by the
instructions on the tax forms.

Alert Vigilantly attentive The dog was very alert. He

guarded his bone collection
with great diligence.

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Alluring attractive, seductive, inviting. The salary was very alluring,

but Max decided not to take
the job.

Debts can easily and rapidly

Accumulate To mount up; increase accumulate. Be careful with
. your credit cards.

To make someone nervous or The peaceful crowd became

Agitate troubled; to arouse concern. agitated when the police
showed up in full riot gear.

The child spoke so softly her

Audible (Adjective) able to be heard, hearable voice was barely audible.

Supplement (Verb) add to; provide a supplement Max got a second job to
to supplement his income.

Getting seven years of bad

Superstition (Noun) An irrational belief which luck for breaking a mirror is a
ignores the laws of nature. common superstition.

The crowd at the funeral was

Sedate (Adjective) calm; composed quiet and sedate.

Every office needs a

Scapegoat (Noun) someone to blame; someone scapegoat. In our office Max
to take the blame for others is the scapegoat. He's blamed
for everything.

Max was coerced into making

Coerce (Verb) compel by unethical means, a donation to the Senator's
force campaign fund.

Jack came back with a witty

Retort (Noun) a sharp reply, answer retort to the reporter's
question.

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Prudent (Adjective) careful and wise It would not be very prudent

to spend your entire
paycheck on lottery tickets.

Prevail (Verb) win; overcome; gain We may be losing now, but in

advantage the end we will prevail.

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