🏆 CEFR levels · 353 words
C1–C2 (Advanced) Vocabulary List: 353 Words with Definitions
C1 and C2 vocabulary is precise, formal and often academic: the words that separate a good essay from a great one. This is the advanced pool inside Word Hype, curated for learners aiming at IELTS 7+, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency or academic study in English.
| Word | Definition | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Abandon | To leave a person or place and not return. | Play ▶ |
| Abstract | About ideas rather than things you can touch. | Play ▶ |
| Aesthetic | Related to beauty and the way things look. | Play ▶ |
| Align | To place things in a straight line or correct position. | Play ▶ |
| Alloy | A material made by mixing a metal with other elements. | Play ▶ |
| Ambiguous | Having more than one possible meaning. | Play ▶ |
| Amend | To change a document or law to improve it. | Play ▶ |
| Analogy | A comparison that explains one thing by showing how it is like another. | Play ▶ |
| Ancestor | A family member who lived before your grandparents. | Play ▶ |
| Anomaly | Something that does not fit the usual pattern. | Play ▶ |
| Appetite | The feeling of wanting to eat. | Play ▶ |
| Appoint | To choose someone officially for a job or duty. | Play ▶ |
| Arbitrary | Chosen without a clear reason or fair rule. | Play ▶ |
| Archive | A collection of old records kept for future use. | Play ▶ |
| Arrogant | Believing you are better or more important than other people. | Play ▶ |
| Assemble | To put separate parts together to make something. | Play ▶ |
| Assert | To say firmly that something is true. | Play ▶ |
| Attain | To achieve something through effort. | Play ▶ |
| Attribute | A quality or feature of a person or thing. | Play ▶ |
| Audacious | Willing to take bold and surprising risks. | Play ▶ |
| Authentic | Real and from the source it claims to come from. | Play ▶ |
| Baggage | The bags and cases you take when you travel. | Play ▶ |
| Ballot | A system of voting, usually in secret. | Play ▶ |
| Barrier | A fence or other object that blocks a way. | Play ▶ |
| Beloved | Loved very much by someone. | Play ▶ |
| Bewitch | To put someone under a magic spell. | Play ▶ |
| Bias | An unfair preference for one person or side. | Play ▶ |
| Bless | To ask for God's protection or favor for someone. | Play ▶ |
| Boast | To talk with too much pride about yourself. | Play ▶ |
| Boundary | A line that marks where an area ends. | Play ▶ |
| Brevity | The use of very few words to express something. | Play ▶ |
| Brutal | Very cruel and violent. | Play ▶ |
| Burial | The act of putting a dead body in the ground. | Play ▶ |
| Candid | Honest and direct about what you think. | Play ▶ |
| Cargo | Goods carried by a ship, plane, or truck. | Play ▶ |
| Casualty | A person hurt or killed in an accident or attack. | Play ▶ |
| Cattle | Farm animals such as cows and bulls considered as a group. | Play ▶ |
| Chronic | Lasting a long time or coming back often, especially an illness. | Play ▶ |
| Clarify | To explain something so it is easier to understand. | Play ▶ |
| Cognitive | Related to thinking, learning, and remembering. | Play ▶ |
| Coherent | Clear and easy to understand because the parts fit together. | Play ▶ |
| Coincide | To happen at the same time. | Play ▶ |
| Collapse | To fall down suddenly because support fails. | Play ▶ |
| Colossal | Extremely large in size or amount. | Play ▶ |
| Commence | To begin an activity or event. | Play ▶ |
| Compel | To force someone to do something. | Play ▶ |
| Comply | To act according to a request or rule. | Play ▶ |
| Comprise | To have particular parts that together form a whole. | Play ▶ |
| Concede | To admit that something is true even when you do not want to. | Play ▶ |
| Concise | Giving information clearly in few words. | Play ▶ |
| Condemn | To say strongly that something is wrong. | Play ▶ |
| Conform | To behave according to a group's rules or expectations. | Play ▶ |
| Confront | To face a difficult problem and deal with it. | Play ▶ |
| Conquer | To take control of a place by military force. | Play ▶ |
| Contrary | Opposite to something else. | Play ▶ |
| Convert | To change something into a different form or use. | Play ▶ |
| Convict | To officially find someone guilty of a crime in court. | Play ▶ |
| Cunning | Clever at getting what you want by tricking people. | Play ▶ |
| Deceive | To make someone believe something that is not true. | Play ▶ |
| Decisive | Able to make choices quickly and confidently. | Play ▶ |
| Deduce | To work out what must be true from known facts. | Play ▶ |
| Deficit | The amount by which spending is greater than income. | Play ▶ |
| Delegate | To give part of your work or authority to someone else. | Play ▶ |
| Delicate | Easily broken or damaged. | Play ▶ |
| Denote | To stand for or mean something. | Play ▶ |
| Depict | To show someone or something in a picture. | Play ▶ |
| Deprive | To take away something someone needs or has a right to. | Play ▶ |
| Derive | To get something from a particular source. | Play ▶ |
| Despair | A feeling that there is no hope left. | Play ▶ |
| Detach | To remove one part from something it is joined to. | Play ▶ |
| Detect | To discover something that is hidden or hard to notice. | Play ▶ |
| Deviate | To move away from a planned route or course. | Play ▶ |
| Devoted | Very loving and loyal to someone. | Play ▶ |
| Dilemma | A difficult choice between options that each have problems. | Play ▶ |
| Diminish | To make or become smaller or less important. | Play ▶ |
| Discrete | Separate and clearly different from other things. | Play ▶ |
| Disguise | To change your appearance so people will not recognize you. | Play ▶ |
| Dismiss | To decide that an idea is not worth considering. | Play ▶ |
| Distort | To twist something out of its usual shape. | Play ▶ |
| Drastic | Extreme and likely to have a very strong effect. | Play ▶ |
| Drift | To move slowly with wind or water. | Play ▶ |
| Dubious | Unsure whether something is true or a good idea. | Play ▶ |
| Durable | Strong enough to last a long time without damage. | Play ▶ |
| Dwell | To live in a particular place. | Play ▶ |
| Eager | Very keen to do or have something. | Play ▶ |
| Eccentric | Behaving in ways that are unusual but often harmless. | Play ▶ |
| Efficacy | The ability to produce the intended result. | Play ▶ |
| Elaborate | Containing many carefully planned details. | Play ▶ |
| Elegant | Beautiful and stylish in a simple, graceful way. | Play ▶ |
| Eliminate | To remove something completely. | Play ▶ |
| Eloquent | Able to express ideas clearly and powerfully. | Play ▶ |
| Embody | To be a clear example of a quality or idea. | Play ▶ |
| Embrace | To hold someone in your arms with affection. | Play ▶ |
| Emerge | To come out of a place where you could not be seen. | Play ▶ |
| Emphasis | Special importance given to one part of something. | Play ▶ |
| Empirical | Based on what is observed or tested. | Play ▶ |
| Emulate | To try to match someone's success by following their example. | Play ▶ |
| Endure | To suffer through something difficult without giving up. | Play ▶ |
| Enhance | To improve the quality or value of something. | Play ▶ |
| Enquire | To ask someone for information. | Play ▶ |
| Enrich | To improve the quality or value of something. | Play ▶ |
| Entity | Something that exists as a separate thing. | Play ▶ |
| Epitome | A perfect example of a particular quality. | Play ▶ |
| Equation | A mathematical statement showing that two amounts are equal. | Play ▶ |
| Erect | To build or set up a structure. | Play ▶ |
| Erode | To slowly wear away rock or soil through water or wind. | Play ▶ |
| Erratic | Changing often in ways that are hard to predict. | Play ▶ |
| Essence | The main quality that makes something what it is. | Play ▶ |
| Eternal | Lasting forever. | Play ▶ |
| Ethical | Related to ideas about right and wrong. | Play ▶ |
| Evacuate | To move people away from a dangerous place. | Play ▶ |
| Evident | Easy to see or understand. | Play ▶ |
| Evolve | To develop and change gradually over time. | Play ▶ |
| Exceed | To be greater than a stated amount or limit. | Play ▶ |
| Excerpt | A short part taken from a longer book, film, or piece of music. | Play ▶ |
| Exclude | To leave someone or something out. | Play ▶ |
| Execute | To carry out a plan or instruction. | Play ▶ |
| Exert | To use force or influence. | Play ▶ |
| Exhaust | To make someone extremely tired. | Play ▶ |
| Exhibit | To show objects to the public, often in a museum. | Play ▶ |
| Exile | The state of being forced to live outside your country. | Play ▶ |
| Exotic | Unusual and interesting because it comes from a distant place. | Play ▶ |
| Expire | To reach the date when something is no longer valid. | Play ▶ |
| Explicit | Stated clearly and directly. | Play ▶ |
| Exploit | To use a person unfairly for your own benefit. | Play ▶ |
| Expose | To reveal something that was hidden. | Play ▶ |
| Extinct | Having no living members left, as a species. | Play ▶ |
| Extract | To pull or take something out. | Play ▶ |
| Fabricate | To invent a false story or piece of evidence. | Play ▶ |
| Facilitate | To make an activity or process easier. | Play ▶ |
| Faction | A smaller group within a larger one that has different aims. | Play ▶ |
| Fallacy | An idea that seems true but is based on faulty thinking. | Play ▶ |
| Feasible | Possible to do with the time and resources available. | Play ▶ |
| Ferocious | Very fierce and violent. | Play ▶ |
| Fidelity | Loyalty to a person, promise, or belief. | Play ▶ |
| Finite | Having an end or limit. | Play ▶ |
| Flourish | To grow or develop very well. | Play ▶ |
| Fluctuate | To rise and fall repeatedly. | Play ▶ |
| Forecast | To say what is likely to happen using available information. | Play ▶ |
| Formulate | To develop a plan or idea carefully. | Play ▶ |
| Fraction | A number that represents part of a whole. | Play ▶ |
| Fragile | Easy to break or damage. | Play ▶ |
| Fragment | A small piece broken off something larger. | Play ▶ |
| Friction | The force that resists movement when surfaces rub together. | Play ▶ |
| Frugal | Careful to avoid wasting money or resources. | Play ▶ |
| Furious | Extremely angry. | Play ▶ |
| Futile | Having no useful effect or chance of success. | Play ▶ |
| Generic | Related to a whole group rather than one particular member. | Play ▶ |
| Gesture | A movement of the hand or body that expresses meaning. | Play ▶ |
| Gigantic | Extremely big. | Play ▶ |
| Glance | To look at something quickly. | Play ▶ |
| Glimpse | A brief or incomplete view of something. | Play ▶ |
| Gradual | Happening slowly in small stages. | Play ▶ |
| Grandeur | Impressive beauty, size, or importance. | Play ▶ |
| Grievance | A complaint about unfair treatment. | Play ▶ |
| Guideline | Advice about how to do something. | Play ▶ |
| Habitual | Done regularly and repeatedly. | Play ▶ |
| Handicap | A disadvantage that makes success harder. | Play ▶ |
| Harmony | A peaceful state in which people agree and get along. | Play ▶ |
| Harvest | To gather ripe crops from fields. | Play ▶ |
| Hatred | A very strong feeling of dislike. | Play ▶ |
| Hazard | Something that could cause harm. | Play ▶ |
| Hazardous | Likely to cause harm or danger. | Play ▶ |
| Hierarchy | A system that ranks people or things from highest to lowest. | Play ▶ |
| Horizon | The line where the sky seems to meet the land or sea. | Play ▶ |
| Hostile | Unfriendly and ready to argue or attack. | Play ▶ |
| Humble | Not believing you are more important than others. | Play ▶ |
| Hypothesis | A possible explanation that can be tested. | Play ▶ |
| Ideology | A set of beliefs about how society should work. | Play ▶ |
| Illusion | Something that appears real but is not. | Play ▶ |
| Immerse | To put something completely under a liquid. | Play ▶ |
| Imminent | About to happen very soon. | Play ▶ |
| Immune | Protected against a particular disease. | Play ▶ |
| Imperative | Extremely important and needing to be done. | Play ▶ |
| Implement | To put a plan or decision into action. | Play ▶ |
| Implicit | Understood even though it is not stated directly. | Play ▶ |
| Imply | To suggest something without saying it directly. | Play ▶ |
| Impose | To force people to accept a rule or decision. | Play ▶ |
| Impress | To make someone admire you or think well of you. | Play ▶ |
| Incentive | Something that encourages a person to act. | Play ▶ |
| Induce | To cause something to happen. | Play ▶ |
| Inevitable | Certain to happen and impossible to avoid. | Play ▶ |
| Infant | A baby or very young child. | Play ▶ |
| Infect | To cause a living thing to develop a disease by passing germs to it. | Play ▶ |
| Infer | To reach an idea from evidence rather than a direct statement. | Play ▶ |
| Infinite | Having no end or limit. | Play ▶ |
| Inherent | Existing as a natural part of something. | Play ▶ |
| Inhibit | To slow down or prevent a process. | Play ▶ |
| Initiate | To cause a process or activity to begin. | Play ▶ |
| Inmate | A person held in a prison. | Play ▶ |
| Innate | Present from birth rather than learned. | Play ▶ |
| Innovate | To introduce new ideas or methods. | Play ▶ |
| Insight | A clear and deep understanding of something. | Play ▶ |
| Inspect | To look at something carefully to check its condition. | Play ▶ |
| Instinct | A natural pattern of behavior that does not need to be learned. | Play ▶ |
| Intact | Whole and not damaged. | Play ▶ |
| Intake | The amount of food, drink, or air taken into the body. | Play ▶ |
| Integrate | To combine separate parts into one working whole. | Play ▶ |
| Interact | To communicate or do things with other people. | Play ▶ |
| Interpret | To explain the meaning of something. | Play ▶ |
| Interval | A period of time between two events. | Play ▶ |
| Intimate | Very close and personal. | Play ▶ |
| Intrinsic | Belonging to something's essential nature. | Play ▶ |
| Intuition | A feeling that something is true without conscious reasoning. | Play ▶ |
| Invade | To enter a country by force with an army. | Play ▶ |
| Invalid | Not legally acceptable or officially recognized. | Play ▶ |
| Inverse | Opposite in position, order, or effect. | Play ▶ |
| Isolate | To separate someone or something from others. | Play ▶ |
| Judicial | Related to courts and judges. | Play ▶ |
| Junction | A place where roads or railway lines meet. | Play ▶ |
| Justify | To give a good reason for an action or belief. | Play ▶ |
| Kinetic | Related to movement. | Play ▶ |
| Landmark | A well-known object or building that helps people recognize a place. | Play ▶ |
| Latent | Present but not yet active or visible. | Play ▶ |
| Legislate | To make or pass laws. | Play ▶ |
| Liability | Legal responsibility for something, especially harm or a debt. | Play ▶ |
| Literal | Using the exact, ordinary meaning of a word. | Play ▶ |
| Locomotive | The railway vehicle that pulls a train. | Play ▶ |
| Logical | Following clear and reasonable steps of thought. | Play ▶ |
| Lucid | Expressed clearly and easy to understand. | Play ▶ |
| Magnify | To make something appear larger. | Play ▶ |
| Manifest | Clear and easy to notice. | Play ▶ |
| Marginal | Very small in size or importance. | Play ▶ |
| Maturity | The state of being fully grown or developed. | Play ▶ |
| Maximize | To increase something as much as possible. | Play ▶ |
| Mediate | To help people in a disagreement reach an agreement. | Play ▶ |
| Medieval | Related to the period in Europe between ancient and modern times. | Play ▶ |
| Metaphor | A way of describing one thing as another to show a shared quality. | Play ▶ |
| Militant | Ready to fight strongly for a cause. | Play ▶ |
| Minimize | To reduce something to the smallest possible amount. | Play ▶ |
| Misery | Great unhappiness or suffering. | Play ▶ |
| Mitigate | To make something harmful less severe. | Play ▶ |
| Momentum | The strength that keeps an activity growing or moving forward. | Play ▶ |
| Monopoly | Complete control of a market by one seller. | Play ▶ |
| Motivate | To give someone a reason or desire to act. | Play ▶ |
| Mundane | Ordinary and not very interesting. | Play ▶ |
| Mysterious | Strange and difficult to explain. | Play ▶ |
| Neglect | To fail to give someone or something needed care. | Play ▶ |
| Negligible | Too small to matter much. | Play ▶ |
| Nostalgia | A warm, sometimes sad feeling about the past. | Play ▶ |
| Notorious | Well known for something bad. | Play ▶ |
| Oblige | To require someone to act because of a rule or duty. | Play ▶ |
| Obstacle | Something that blocks your way. | Play ▶ |
| Occupation | The work a person does for a living. | Play ▶ |
| Occurrence | Something that happens. | Play ▶ |
| Optimistic | Expecting good things to happen. | Play ▶ |
| Orchestra | A large group of musicians playing together under a leader. | Play ▶ |
| Orient | To help someone understand a new place or situation. | Play ▶ |
| Overly | More than is needed or reasonable. | Play ▶ |
| Paradox | A statement that seems to contradict itself but may be true. | Play ▶ |
| Parameter | A limit or condition that shapes what can be done. | Play ▶ |
| Parish | An area served by a local church and its priest. | Play ▶ |
| Patrol | To move around an area to keep it safe. | Play ▶ |
| Patron | A customer of a shop, restaurant, or other business. | Play ▶ |
| Perceive | To notice something through your senses. | Play ▶ |
| Persist | To continue doing something despite difficulty. | Play ▶ |
| Pervasive | Present or spreading throughout an area or group. | Play ▶ |
| Phenomenon | Something that happens and can be observed or studied. | Play ▶ |
| Pragmatic | Focused on what works in practice. | Play ▶ |
| Preach | To give a religious talk to a group. | Play ▶ |
| Precede | To come before something in time or order. | Play ▶ |
| Precise | Exact and accurate. | Play ▶ |
| Predict | To say what you think will happen in the future. | Play ▶ |
| Prejudice | An unfair opinion formed without enough knowledge. | Play ▶ |
| Prevalent | Common in a particular place or group. | Play ▶ |
| Primitive | Belonging to an early stage of development. | Play ▶ |
| Proceed | To continue after a pause. | Play ▶ |
| Prospect | The possibility that something will happen. | Play ▶ |
| Protocol | An agreed set of rules for an official activity. | Play ▶ |
| Quantity | The amount or number of something. | Play ▶ |
| Query | A question or request for information. | Play ▶ |
| Radar | A system that uses radio waves to find distant objects. | Play ▶ |
| Ratify | To give formal approval to an agreement. | Play ▶ |
| Rational | Based on reason and clear thinking. | Play ▶ |
| Rebellion | An organized fight against a government or authority. | Play ▶ |
| Recession | A period when the economy shrinks and business activity falls. | Play ▶ |
| Reconcile | To restore a friendly relationship after a disagreement. | Play ▶ |
| Recruit | To find and bring new people into a team or organization. | Play ▶ |
| Refined | Made purer by removing unwanted material. | Play ▶ |
| Refuge | A safe place away from danger. | Play ▶ |
| Reluctant | Not willing or eager to do something. | Play ▶ |
| Remainder | What is left after the rest is taken away or used. | Play ▶ |
| Remedy | A treatment used to relieve an illness or symptom. | Play ▶ |
| Render | To cause someone or something to become a certain way. | Play ▶ |
| Repress | To hold back a feeling or memory from conscious thought. | Play ▶ |
| Reproduce | To make a copy of something. | Play ▶ |
| Resemble | To look or seem like someone or something else. | Play ▶ |
| Reside | To live in a particular place. | Play ▶ |
| Resilient | Able to recover after difficulty or damage. | Play ▶ |
| Restraint | The ability to control your feelings or actions. | Play ▶ |
| Rigid | Stiff and unable to bend easily. | Play ▶ |
| Rigorous | Very careful and thorough. | Play ▶ |
| Ritual | A ceremony performed through an established set of actions. | Play ▶ |
| Rotate | To turn around a central point or line. | Play ▶ |
| Sanction | Official permission or approval. | Play ▶ |
| Scarcity | A situation in which there is not enough of something. | Play ▶ |
| Scenario | A possible future situation or series of events. | Play ▶ |
| Scrutiny | Very careful and detailed examination. | Play ▶ |
| Semantic | Related to the meaning of words or signs. | Play ▶ |
| Simulate | To copy a real situation for practice or study. | Play ▶ |
| Skeptical | Not easily convinced that a claim is true. | Play ▶ |
| Sketch | A quick, rough drawing. | Play ▶ |
| Solitude | The state of being alone. | Play ▶ |
| Subsidy | Money given by a government to support an activity or service. | Play ▶ |
| Substitute | A person or thing used in place of another. | Play ▶ |
| Subtle | Not obvious and easy to miss. | Play ▶ |
| Successive | Following one after another in order. | Play ▶ |
| Supplement | Something added to make a supply or work more complete. | Play ▶ |
| Suppress | To stop information from becoming public. | Play ▶ |
| Surplus | An amount left after needs have been met. | Play ▶ |
| Suspend | To stop an activity for a period of time. | Play ▶ |
| Sustain | To keep something going over time. | Play ▶ |
| Symbolic | Representing an idea through an object or action. | Play ▶ |
| Sympathy | Care and sadness for someone who is suffering. | Play ▶ |
| Synthesis | The process of combining separate ideas into a whole. | Play ▶ |
| Tangible | Real and able to be touched. | Play ▶ |
| Tendency | A usual way someone behaves or something develops. | Play ▶ |
| Terminate | To bring something to an end. | Play ▶ |
| Tolerance | Willingness to accept beliefs or behavior different from your own. | Play ▶ |
| Toxicity | The degree to which a substance is poisonous. | Play ▶ |
| Tragedy | An event that causes great suffering or loss. | Play ▶ |
| Transcend | To go beyond the usual limits of something. | Play ▶ |
| Transform | To change the form or appearance of something greatly. | Play ▶ |
| Transient | Lasting only a short time. | Play ▶ |
| Transmit | To send a signal or message from one place to another. | Play ▶ |
| Tremendous | Extremely great in size, amount, or strength. | Play ▶ |
| Triumph | A great success or victory. | Play ▶ |
| Trophy | An object given as a prize for winning. | Play ▶ |
| Undergo | To experience a process, change, or treatment. | Play ▶ |
| Underlie | To be the basic cause or reason for something. | Play ▶ |
| Undertake | To take responsibility for doing a task. | Play ▶ |
| Utilize | To use something for a practical purpose. | Play ▶ |
| Vacuum | A space with no matter, or almost no air, in it. | Play ▶ |
| Validate | To show that something is sound or correct. | Play ▶ |
| Vanish | To disappear suddenly or completely. | Play ▶ |
| Variable | Likely or able to change. | Play ▶ |
| Velocity | The speed of movement in a particular direction. | Play ▶ |
| Vengeance | An act of hurting someone in return for harm they caused. | Play ▶ |
| Verify | To check that something is true or accurate. | Play ▶ |
| Versatile | Able to do many different things well. | Play ▶ |
| Vertical | Pointing straight up and down. | Play ▶ |
| Viable | Able to work successfully in practice. | Play ▶ |
| Vicious | Deliberately cruel or violent. | Play ▶ |
| Vigorous | Full of strength and energy. | Play ▶ |
| Virtue | A good moral quality, such as honesty. | Play ▶ |
| Visionary | A person with bold ideas about a better future. | Play ▶ |
| Vocal | Related to the human voice. | Play ▶ |
| Voluntary | Done by choice rather than because someone forces you. | Play ▶ |
| Weaken | To make something less strong. | Play ▶ |
| Wholly | Completely or entirely. | Play ▶ |
| Withdraw | To take money out of an account. | Play ▶ |
| Yield | To produce a crop, profit, or result. | Play ▶ |
| Yielding | Soft enough to bend or give way under pressure. | Play ▶ |