IELTS WORDLIST 02
1 .Ostensible
( apparent; professed; pretended; seeming Ant. Real)
People sometimes believe media statements because of their
ostensible authority.
2. Immense
( huge, vast, enormous, mammoth, colossal, incalculable)
They spent an immense amount of time getting the engine
into perfect condition.
3. Harangue
( n. a bitter verbal or written attack on somebody or
something; invective; tirade ; diatribe; jeremiad )
He harangued the public on their ignorance
4. Vicissitude
( variability ; Vicissitudes(plural noun) unexpected changes )
Though he had many vicissitudes in life, nothing would stop
him from becoming an entrepreneur.
5. Reticent
( reserved ; uncommunicative ; inclined to silence )
Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones.
6. Perpetuate
(continue, prolong, alive, propagate, extend, immortalize )
Nathan's bad behavior only served to perpetuate his
teacher's negative opinion of him.
7. Dissemble
(disguise ; pretend ; feign ; mislead ; put on an act)
I will not dissemble the first emotions of joy on the recovery
of my freedom, and, perhaps, the establishment of my fame.
8. Parsimonious
(miserly, stingy; excessively frugal; thrifty, sparing )
Even though I have plenty of money, I tend to
be parsimonious with my spending.
9. Eccentric
(odd, unconventional, peculiar, strange, weird, bizarre )
She's become more eccentric over the years.
10. Affable
( good-natured, friendly ; courteous ; jovial, gregarious )
The affable manager helped to ease the frustrations of the
disappointed customer.
11. Confer
(discuss, talk, deliberate, consult, converse, convene, advise/
award, bestow (formal), present, grant, give )
If you confer a benefit, never remember it; if you receive
one, remember it always.
12. Consternation
(alarm, anxiety, worry, dismay, disquiet, dread, trepidation)
The news caused worldwide consternation and a panic on
the stock exchange.
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13. Prevail
(win out, triumph, succeed, be victorious, overcome, conquer
/ exist, reign, be happening, occur, predominate )
Let us hope justice will prevail so the killer will be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
14. Epitome
(typical example; essence, personification, embodiment,
quintessence, archetype )
The hotel was the epitome of British colonial elegance in
Jamaica.
15. Expletive
(curse, swearword, invective, exclamation, obscenity)
The girl uttered an expletive when she received a low score
on an important exam.
16. Irascible
(quick-tempered; irritable, touchy, testy, petulant, grumpy,
snappy, cantankerous, ornery, cross )
Her irascible temper frightened me.
17. Denounce
(criticize, censure, deplore, condemn, deprecate, decry)
The film was denounced for the way it portrayed its female
characters.
18. Indigence
( extreme poverty; pennilessness, destitution, neediness,
impecuniousness, impoverishment ; penury )
High medical costs are a significant cause of indigence for
many of the elderly who are living in poverty.
19. Revulsion
( feeling of disgust; repulsion, revolt, nausea, distaste, horror,
loathing, dislike, aversion, withdrawal )
She felt a deep sense of revulsion at the violence.
20. Sanguine
( confident; cheerfully optimistic; hopeful ; positive ; upbeat /
flushed with a healthy rosy color ( a sanguine complexion)
He seemed quite sanguine about his chances of success.
21. Discrepancy
(inconsistency, difference, incongruity, divergence,
disagreement )
Because of a discrepancy in the witness' testimony, the
defense attorney has asked the judge to drop the charges
against his client.
22. Fluster
(make or become nervous, perturb,confuse,upset)
The flustered defendant began to yell at the prosecutor.
23. Consummate
(excellent, skillful, or accomplished ; utter or total /
v. conclude something; achieve something )
Her control of the stage is consummate, impossible to ignore
and intimidating in the extreme.
PIE | Aslam Khayer
 IELTS WORDLIST 02
24. Remnant
(small part still left; trace of something; remainder, remains,
relic, leftover, residue, vestige )
The abandoned plant was a remnant of the town’s once
thriving economy.
25. Disparage
(criticize, belittle, laugh at, mock, ridicule, sneer, vilify,
denigrate, deride, scorn )
It's a mistake to disparage their achievements.
26. Radical
(fundamental , basic, essential / profound , sweeping, drastic;
pervasive / extreme, fanatical, revolutionary)
This decision signified a radical change in their policies.
27. Lopsided
(disproportionate, unequal, uneven, askew, crooked,
cockeyed, skewed)
Not realizing the table was lopsided, the patron placed his
drink on it and water went everywhere!
28. Malleable
( flexible , soft, supple, bendy, pliable, ductile, plastic /
persuadable, impressionable, compliant, acquiescent,
manipulable, pliable )
Knowledge gives you power by making you less malleable to
negative influences.
29. Nuance
( subtle difference; gradation, distinction, tinge, hint, degree)
Because she is a chef, she notices every nuance of flavor in
the meal.
30. Disdain
(intense dislike; contempt, derision, condescension,
disparagement, disregard, aloofness)
She expressed disdain at the adulation the industry gives to
beauty over talent.
31. Specious
( appearing to be true but really false ; seemingly reasonable
but incorrect ; false, fallacious, sham, bogus, spurious )
They often justify their inaction on specious philosophical or
ethical grounds.
32. Punch line
(the last part of a joke or funny story that delivers the
meaning and the bulk of the humor)
Bush loves to joke, even if he is the punch line.
33. Pedigree
(line of ancestors; family-tree; background)
What is the dog's pedigree?
34. Apostate
( n. one who abandons his religious / political beliefs or
allegiance; renouncer ; deserter ; renegade )
They branded her an apostate by imperial forces to vilify
Islam.
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35. Semantic
(relating to the meaning or differences between meaning of
words or symbols)
Her speech sounded very formal, but it was clear that the
young girl did not understand the semantics of all the words
she was using.
36. Appease
(pacify, mollify, conciliate, placate, soothe, calm down,
quieten down / satisfy, assuage, calm, soothe, ease )
The move was widely seen as an attempt to appease critics
of the regime.
37. Crass
( thoughtless and vulgar, insensitive, tactless, vulgar,
obnoxious, gross/ utter: crass stupidity )
He made crass comments about her worn-out clothes.
38. Resonance
( underlying meaning; amplified sound )
The resonance in the singer's deep voice made the song
sound more powerful.
39. Discrete
( completely separate; distinct, detached, isolated)
Though the average person might just call them red, both
amber and burgundy are discrete colors.
40. Apparatus
(equipment; device, gadget, gear, kit, contraption, tool /
system, method, organization, operation,machinery)
The apparatus used for scuba diving includes goggles,
flippers, and a breathing tank, while a surgeon's apparatus
includes various scalpels and clamps.
41. Espouse
( to adopt or support something as a belief or cause ;
advocate, promote, champion, embrace, take up /
marry or give in marriage)
Although the reviews were rather harsh, Emma had the
grace to espouse the criticism and try to improve her
performance.
42. Foible
( an idiosyncrasy or small weakness; quirk, bad habit,
eccentricity / the weakest part of a sword blade from the
middle to the point )
We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.
43. Momentum
( forward movement/impetus, drive, thrust, energy, motion,
force, push )
Using her momentum, he swung her over his head.
44. Meddlesome
(interfering unnecessarily; bossy, bureaucratic, self-important,
overbearing, interfering, intrusive, fussy, officious) She is a
meddlesome , domineering nag and Roy feels threatened by
her.
PIE | Aslam Khayer
IELTS WORDLIST 02
45. Phenomenal
(remarkable, impressive, prodigious, astounding, exceptional)
After seeing the play, the critics praised the young actress
on her phenomenal talent.
46. Rant
(to speak or say something in a very loud, aggressive, or
bombastic way, usually at length and repetitively ; outburst,
bombast, tirade, histrionics, rage, bluster )
She listened to his rant, peppered with language no kid
Toby's age should hear.
47. Savant
( a wise or scholarly person; sage (literary), guru,
philosopher, thinker, expert, pundit)
Although Jason is mildly retarded, he is also a chess savant
who is considered to be one of the best players in the world.
48. Astound
(surprise somebody greatly; amaze, astonish, dumbfound,
flabbergast (informal), daze)
What astounds me is that they never apologized.
49. Upstream
(moving towards the source)
The water rose high enough for them to continue upstream.
50. Undermine
(weaken, challenge, demoralize, damage, dent, chip away at,
destabilize, undercut, emasculate)
The recent corruption scandals have undermined many
people's faith in the city government.
51. Poise
(composure, dignity, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-
control, sang-froid (formal), aplomb) /grace, posture)
Elizabeth has the classic poise of a ballerina.
52. Dexterity
( physical skill, deftness, adroitness, skill, handiness,
legerdemain, agility, nimbleness, dexterousness / quick wit;
acuity, quick-wittedness, sharpness, ingenuity, quickness,
resourcefulness, ability )
Dexterity comes by experience.
53. Beleaguered
( annoy; under pressure, under attack; besiege ; stressed,
harassed, fraught, careworn, struggling, besieged, )
There have been seven coup attempts against the
beleaguered government.
54. Retrench
(economize ; cut something out ; reorganize ; cost-cutting )
They must retrench their expenditure for the purpose of
making up the deficit.
55. Camouflage
(concealment, disguise, smoke screen, cover-up, façade)
The rabbit's white fur acts as a camouflage in the snow.
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56.Exacerbate
(make worse; aggravate, impair, intensify )
If you do not take your medicine, you condition will
exacerbate, and you will feel worse
57. Repatriate
(send somebody back; deport, banish, exile, expel, oust)
The government has insisted that it will repatriate as many
illegal immigrants as possible before the term end.
58. Vegetate
(to live or behave in a dull, inactive, or undemanding way)
I just spent the weekend vegetating at home.
59. Fledgling
(inexperienced; new; immature; under-developed)
The current economic climate is particularly difficult for
fledgling businesses.
60. Lucid
( clear and easily understood ; intelligible; rational ; eloquent
/ shining; luminescent; emitting light )
The main points remained lucid, straightforward, and well
worth listening to.
61. Aboriginal
(existing in a place from the earliest known times; indigenous,
local , original, native, autochthonous)
The aboriginal inhabitants of New York had an important
influence on its colonial history.
62. Replenish
(replace, refill, fill, stock up, restock, reload, top up )
This deficit must be satisfied before any water can infiltrate
downwards through the soil to replenish the aquifer.
63. Slumber
(sleep, snooze, doze, nap, siesta /rest, inactivity, inertia,
torpor, laziness, stagnation)
I was certain he'd awake at the sound but his slumber was
so deep he didn't move.
64. Qualm
( misgiving, doubt, pang, fear, apprehensiveness, uneasiness,
disquiet / scruple, remorse, contrition, regret, repentance,
shame, pang of conscience)
Evil is not having to overcome any moral qualms about
killing innocent people.
65. Insomnia
(sleeplessness, wakefulness, restlessness)
Its mild side effects include dry mouth, insomnia and
constipation.
66. Wean
(dissuade, deter, discourage, stop, prevent, halt)
I'm trying to wean myself off soda by drinking fewer
each day.
PIE | Aslam Khayer