1.

MYRIAD

Definition: (noun) a countless or extremely great number 

Replaces: a lot 
Myriad is one of the greatest words to use in your essays! We all have a
tendency to say things like “a lot of examples” or “many experiences” in our
essays, but that doesn’t make your essay stand out to your teacher. If you want
to make your teacher perk up, be sure to include this word in your essay! An
example sentence could be “The author suggests a myriad of solutions for the
problem.”

2. ASSERTS

Definition: (verb) state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully 

Replaces: says 
Another stellar word to add to your mental dictionary is “asserts”. This verb is
much more powerful than the alternative “says”, but it doesn’t make you sound
like a vocabulary nerd when you write it! Asserts can be used in a myriad of
situations, but make sure you don’t say it so frequently that it becomes just as
repetitive as “says”! An instance where asserts would fit perfectly is “The author
asserts that the issue is lacking simple solutions”.

3. EGREGIOUS

Definition: (adjective) outstandingly bad; shocking 

Replaces: bad 
Why use an adjective like “bad” when you could easily switch it out for a scholarly
word like “egregious”! This word is sure to impress your English teacher, so you
should remember to use it in your next essay! While there are a myriad of words
that can replace “bad”, such as "dreadful", and "terrible", egregious is one of my
favorite words! It rolls off the tongue and makes you sound like a literary genius!
A sample sentence could be “The author asserts that other solutions to the
problem are simply egregious.”

4. ERRONEOUS

Definition: (adjective) wrong; incorrect 

Replaces: wrong 
Erroneous is an easy word to remember because the word means what it sounds
like - something containing error. Including erroneous in your essays will take
your writing to the next level! After reading a myriad of essays containing simple
words like “wrong” and “flawed”, your teacher will be refreshed by your vast
vocabulary! When you assert your opinions using elevated vocabulary, your
teacher will note that you’re a real brainiac, and respect you for that! A perfect
opportunity to use this word is when describing an egregious statement from the
author : “The author’s solutions for the problem were merely erroneous and
absurd ideas.”

5. ENGENDERS

Definition: (verb) to cause or give rise to 

Replaces: causes 
When you replace “causes” with engenders, you’re sure to knock your teacher’s
socks off! While “causes” isn’t the most egregious word to write in an essay, it
can still get worn out after too much use. A myriad of students will write about
what causes events in their next essay, but you’ll be the only one to describe
what engenders events! Here’s a sample sentence so you know exactly what
you’re doing: “The author is not at all erroneous when she asserts that solving
the problem will engender a better quality of life.”
 6.
Definition: (verb) to make use of 
EMPLOYS

Replaces: uses 
For the longest time, I couldn’t think of another word to replace “use”. Eventually I
came across “utilize”, but I used it so frequently that it became as egregious as
“use”! Finally, I began writing “employs” instead. There are a myriad of ways to
use “employs” in your essay, but no matter how you say it, this word will
engender more success in your essay! Employ has a double meaning, because it
also means to give a job to someone. But it isn’t erroneous to use “employ” in the
second sense of the word. For example :“The author employs rhetorical
questions in order to assert her beliefs in a more persuasive manner.”

7. SALIENT

Definition: (adjective) most notable or important 

Replaces: important 
Salient is a great word to employ when writing your next essay. While a myriad of
other words can easily replace “important”, I usually rely on this word to take my
essay to the next level! Salient can easily replace words like “main” or
“important”, just be sure not to use it erroneously! I don’t think anyone could
argue that replacing “important” with salient wouldn’t engender a better written
essay. A great way to use this word is “The author’s most salient solution is
rather egregious, because one can assert that her suggestions would fail to solve
the problem.”

8. REASONS
Definition: (verb) think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic 
Replaces: thinks 
Like employs, reasons is a word with two very different definitions. But “reasons”
will most likely engender success when you employ the verb form of the word to
replace “thinks”. A myriad of instances come up when writing an essay where
you’ll need to describe what a person thinks, but we all know variety is a salient
component of every good essay! You can switch out “thinks” for “reasons”, but be
sure not to switch it out for erroneous words like “extrapolates” just to sound
smarter! To-the-point writing with loads of variety is what most teachers crave!
So you can definitely write something along these lines in your next essay :“The
author reasons that we can solve the problem if we all work together, but the
methods she asserts will help us do so are egregious.”

9. ADVANTAGEOUS

Definition: (adjective) providing an advantage; favorable; beneficial 

Replaces: good 
One word all teachers see far too much is “good”! Teachers all of my high school
career have asserted that they do not wish to see “good” in any student essays
that year, but the word always sneaks in! Good has become an egregious word
that no teacher can escape! While it isn’t erroneous to use “good” to describe
pleasing things in your essay, there are a myriad of better replacement words
that you can turn to when you need to describe something “good”. My go-to
alternative for good is “advantageous”, and employing this word engenders a
fabulous essay! You could write “The author’s most salient solution is her most
advantageous, as one can reason that it would effectively solve the problem.”

10. GALVANIZE

Definition: (verb) shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action 

Replaces: motivates 
Often times while writing, it's advantageous to address how the author's words
and technique affect the reader. If the writer aims to galvanize his readers, he or
she is basically calling the reader to action, to stand up against egregious crimes,
erroneous accusations, or a myriad of other injustices. If you notice that the
author employs intense diction, or asserts outright that his speech is meant to
engender change, you should probably us the word “galvanize” at least once in
your essay! After seeing that word in your essay, your teacher will reason that
you understood the text well and were able to create an essay regarding the
most salient theme in the piece.

11. CRAFT

Definition: (verb) to make or manufacture (an object)) with skill and careful
attention to detail. 
Replaces: makes/produces/writes 
I love the word “craft” because it instantly fills your teacher’s mind with imagery
that will galvanize her to keep on reading! Instead of asserting that a writer
“produces a speech” or “writes a story”, employ this artful word! “The speaker
crafts his lecture by including a myriad of allusions to other salient speeches” is a
great start to a thesis statement! Varied word choice is always advantageous in
writing, whereas a limited vocabulary can prove to be egregious! While your
peers write essays filled with erroneous grammar and improper uses of diction,
you’ll be creating a unique essay! Since “craft” alters the tone of your entire
essay, you can reason that it will engender a higher score on your paper!

12. SUBSTANTIATE

Definition: (verb) provide evidence to support or prove the truth of 

Replaces: proves 
Throughout an analysis essay, you probably craft a myriad of phrases employing
the word “prove”. After all, every author’s goal is to prove something, right?
However, it’s advantageous to include a greater variety of words, in order to
engender an essay worthy of an A! You never want to use this word erroneously,
though, or else you’ll have an egregious outcome! Your teacher wants to see that
the piece you read galvanized you to assert your opinion with a wider vocabulary,
but tossing in big words incorrectly won’t help you. Before you use this word, a
very salient step is ensuring that you reason through all of your vocabulary
options; does the author vindicate, confirm, justify, or actually substantiate the
claim? There are so many words out there, make sure you choose the right one!

13. CAUSTIC

Definition: (adjective) able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical 

Replaces: mean/harsh 
In order to substantiate that an author’s tone is confrontational, sarcastic, or rude,
you should use one precise term: caustic. Like “craft”, “caustic” is a word filled
with imagery that is sure to engender advantageous results regarding your grade
and your teacher’s opinion of you. While it certainly isn’t egregious to replace
“caustic” with a word like “bitter”, “abrasive”, or a myriad of other terms, in my
opinion, employing caustic stirs a much stronger emotion in the grader. Upon
reading that word, one will reason that the caustic person is dangerous and
malicious. Make sure you don’t overuse this word though; you should only use it
to accurately describe some salient topics, otherwise it may slip out and
erroneously describe something. Ultimately though, asserting your opinions with
the help of this word will galvanize your teacher to give you an A!

14.
Definition: (verb) to make clear 
ELUCIDATE

Replaces: explain 
While writing essays, there's no doubt that you'll be doing some elucidating.
You'll want to ensure that your readers clearly understand your ideas and follow
your train of thought. At the same time, you can also plug in elucidate in some of
your essays to show off your sophisticated vocab!
 15. ESOTERIC

Definition: (adjective): intended for or likely to be understood by only a small

number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. 
Replaces: obscure 
Esoteric is one of those words that you probably don't commonly use so it might
not exactly replace an overused word but it perfectly captures something that's
not so easy to explain. The next time you're trying to explain something to a
school friend or teacher, let 'em know that they clearly don't share your esoteric
knowledge on the subject.

16. TENUOUS

Definition: (adjective) very weak or slight 

Replaces: weak or fragile 
Tenuous is often used to describe the state of a relationship or feelings so don't
be surprised if you start using this word to relay your feelings about a new guy in
your life or maybe even how you feel about your latest impulse purchase.

17. PERFUNCTORY

Definition: (adjective) (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of

effort or reflection. 
Replaces: hasty, careless 
I personally love this word because it's a grown-up way to say "half-ass." I'm
certain you've never written an essay in a perfunctory manner but for those times
that you want to express how your classmate did a perfunctory job in contributing
to your group project or tell your boyfriend that he gave you a perfunctory kiss
and he needs to step it up, it's perfect!

18. ANOMALY

Definition: (noun) out of the ordinary; irregular; something different from the
norm 
Replaces: oddity, abnormality 
Anomaly isn't a word you'll probably use very often, but if you can figure out a
use for it in your essay, you're sure to impress your teacher. It's a way of saying
something is strange or not normal, but has such a class to it so you're not stuck
saying, "It's so weird" but instead can say, "That's quite an anomaly."

19. FACET

Definition: (noun) piece or component of something larger; aspect of something

bigger 
Replaces: face, side, plane 
This one is another good word to use, though not sure how you'd configure it into
your essay depending on the subject. You could describe someone's personality
as "multi-faceted" if you're trying to describe their uniqueness, or if you're trying
to kindly imply they're two-faced. The decision is yours how it's used but it's
definitely a word to add to your vocab to sound more intelligent.

20. PLETHORA
Definition: (noun) an abundance; wide variety; excess 
Replaces: A lot, tons, a bunch 
Plethora is a great word to use even if everyday life! If you're trying to say there is
a lot of something, you can say you have a plethora, and you'll sound super
smart. Throwing that word into a paper, correctly used of course, is bound to
impress your teacher because it's basic yet shows you can use larger words.

21. UBIQUITOUS

Definition: (adjective) omnipresent; widespread; everywhere at once 

Replaces: all over, everywhere, worldwide 
This is a great word to use when you're trying to describe something everywhere.
A world-wide flu outbreak is something you could say is ubiquitous. It's a big
word to have on hand in your vocabulary and you're bound to sound smarter just
by using it.

There you have it! Great scholarly words that are sure to blow away your English
teacher! I hope that after adding these words to your vocabulary, your writing will
improve, but I know there are plenty of fabulous words I didn’t mention! What are
some of your favorite words to use in your essays?

This article was written in collaboration with editor Sabrina Yates and Lisa
Washington