Word list: Ielts writing

vocational adjective (of an educational course or a

qualification) providing knowledge and
skills that prepare you for a particular
job
enrich verb to improve the quality of something by
adding something else

enhance verb to improve the quality, amount, or

strength of something
ethnic adjective relating or belonging to a group of
people who can be seen as distinct (=
different) because they have a shared
culture, tradition, language, history, etc.

tranquil adjective calm and peaceful and without noise,

violence, worry, etc.
serene adjective peaceful and calm; worried by nothing

abominable adjective very bad or unpleasant

disruptive adjective tending to damage the orderly control
of a situation
inferiority noun the state of not being good, or not as
good as someone or something else

procure verb to get something, especially after an

effort
utterly adverb completely or extremely
suffice verb to be enough
levy noun an amount of money, such as a tax, that
you have to pay to a government or
organization
comprehend verb to understand something completely

explicit adjective clear and exact

chaos noun a state of total confusion with no order

hectic adjective full of activity, or very busy and fast

affluent adjective having a lot of money or owning a lot of
things
deplete verb to reduce something in size or amount,
especially supplies of energy, money,
etc.
resentment noun a feeling of anger because you have
been forced to accept something that
you do not like
instill verb to put a feeling, idea, or principle
gradually into someone's mind, so that
it has a strong influence on the way that
person thinks or behaves
impose verb to officially force a rule, tax,
punishment, etc. to be obeyed or
received
constrain verb to control and limit something
opulence noun the quality of being expensive and
luxurious
evoke verb to make someone remember something
or feel an emotion
truancy noun the problem or situation of children
being absent from school regularly
without permission
concise adjective short and clear, expressing what needs
to be said without unnecessary words

marvelous adjective extremely good

roam verb to move about or travel, especially
without a clear idea of what you are
going to do
tease verb to laugh at someone or say unkind
things about them, either because you
are joking or because you want to upset
that person
confine verb to limit an activity, person, or problem
in some way
abolish verb to end an activity or custom officially

sway verb to move slowly from side to side

excessive adjective too much
materialism noun the belief that having money and
possessions is the most important thing
in life
inadequate adjective not good enough or too low in quality

sedentary adjective involving little exercise or physical

activity
predispose verb to influence someone to behave or
think in a particular way or to have a
particular condition
modernism noun modern thinking or methods
lethargic adjective having little energy; feeling unwilling
and unable to do anything

collusion noun agreement between people to act

together secretly or illegally in order to
deceive or cheat someone
diligent adjective careful and using a lot of effort
profound adjective felt or experienced very strongly or in
an extreme way
immense adjective extremely large in size or degree
defy verb to refuse to obey a person, decision,
law, situation, etc.
patriot noun a person who loves their country and, if
necessary, will fight for it
racist noun someone who believes that their race
makes them better, more intelligent,
more moral, etc. than people of other
races and who does or says unfair or
harmful things as a result

illicit adjective illegal or disapproved of by society

extravagant adjective spending too much money, or using too
much of something
transmute verb to change something completely,
especially into something different and
better
profusion noun an extremely large amount of
something
immerse yourself in something verb to become completely involved in
something
obstinate adjective unreasonably determined, especially to
act in a particular way and not to
change at all, despite what anyone else
says
tolerance noun willingness to accept behaviour and
beliefs that are different from your own,
although you might not agree with or
approve of them
extenuate verb to cause a wrong act to be judged less
seriously by giving reasons for it

severe adjective causing very great pain, difficulty,

worry, damage, etc.; very serious
resolve verb to solve or end a problem or difficulty

restrictive adjective limiting the freedom of someone or

preventing something from growing

attribute noun a quality or characteristic that someone

or something has
acquire verb to get or obtain something
forbidden adjective not allowed, especially by law
immersion noun the fact of becoming completely
involved in something
decisive adjective strongly affecting how a situation will
progress or end
bequest noun the money or property belonging to
someone that they say that, after their
death, they wish to be given to other
people
debut noun the occasion when someone performs
or presents something to the public for
the first time
alleged adjective said or thought by some people to be
the stated bad or illegal thing, although
you have no proof
dedicate verb to give all of your energy, time, etc.
pertain to something to be connected with a particular
subject, event, or situation
perplexing adjective confusing, often because you do not
know how to solve something
proneness to sth noun the fact of being likely to suffer from an
illness or have a particular negative
characteristic
impasse noun a situation in which progress is
impossible, especially because the
people involved cannot agree
predicament noun an unpleasant situation that is difficult
to get out of
encapsulate verb to express or show the most important
facts about something
bedazzle verb to impress someone very much,
because of being very intelligent,
beautiful, etc.
humongous adjective very large
benevolent adjective kind and helpful
mesmerize verb to have someone's attention completely
so that they cannot think of anything
else
aversion noun (a person or thing that causes) a feeling
of strong dislike or of not wishing to do
something
appalling adjective very bad
accumulate verb to collect a large number of things over
a long period of time
compile verb to collect information from different
places and arrange it in a book, report,
or list
malfunction verb to fail to work or operate correctly
disseminate verb to spread or give out something,
especially news, information, ideas, etc.,
to a lot of people
naval adjective belonging to a country's navy, or
relating to military ships
amendment noun a change or changes made to the words
of a text
imply verb to communicate an idea or feeling
without saying it directly
volatile adjective likely to change suddenly and
unexpectedly, especially by getting
worse
pyre noun a large pile of wood on which a dead
body is burned in some parts of the
world
trivial adjective having little value or importance
evident adjective easily seen or understood
abbreviation noun a short form of a word or phrase
assimilate verb to become part of a group, country,
society, etc., or to make someone or
something become part of a group,
country, society, etc.
stereotype noun a set idea that people have about what
someone or something is like, especially
an idea that is wrong

strenuous adjective needing or using a lot of physical or

mental effort or energy
stubborn adjective A stubborn person is determined to do
what he or she wants and refuses to do
anything else
replicate verb to make or do something again in
exactly the same way
imitate verb to behave in a similar way to someone
or something else, or to copy the
speech or behaviour, etc. of someone or
something
instruct verb to teach someone how to do something

sustain verb to cause or allow something to continue

for a period of time
pursue verb to follow someone or something,
usually to try to catch him, her, or it
facilitate verb to make something possible or easier

exacerbate verb to make something that is already bad

even worse
truancy noun the problem or situation of children
being absent from school regularly
without permission
indulge verb to allow yourself or another person to
have something enjoyable, especially
more than is good for you

prosperous adjective successful, usually by earning a lot of

money
deploy verb to use something or someone,
especially in an effective way
colloquial adjective (of words and expressions) informal and
more suitable for use in speech than in
writing
fatal adjective A fatal illness, accident, etc. causes
death
diagnosis noun a judgment about what a particular
illness or problem is, made after
examining it
substitution noun the use of one person or thing instead
of another
acquisition noun the process of getting something
antagonize verb to make someone dislike you or feel
opposed to you
arbitrator noun a person who has been officially chosen
to make a decision between two people
or groups who do not agree

doctrine noun a belief or set of beliefs, especially

political or religious ones, that are
taught and accepted by a particular
group
associate verb to connect someone or something in
your mind with someone or something
else
acumen noun skill in making correct decisions and
judgments in a particular subject, such
as business or politics
endow verb to give a large amount of money to pay
for creating a college, hospital, etc. or to
provide an income for it
depleted adjective reduced
cope verb to deal successfully with a difficult
situation
contaminate verb to make something less pure or make it
poisonous
appetite noun the feeling that you want to eat food

the dawn of something noun the start of a period of time or the

beginning of something new
compound verb to make a problem or difficult situation
worse
worsen verb to become worse or to make something
become worse
retain verb to keep or continue to have something

ripe adjective (of fruit or crops) completely developed

and ready to be collected or eaten

tackle verb to try to deal with something or

someone
associate verb to connect someone or something in
your mind with someone or something
else
persist verb If an unpleasant feeling or situation
persists, it continues to exist

persistence noun the fact that someone or something

persists
minimize verb to reduce something to the least
possible level or amount
detect verb to notice something that is partly
hidden or not clear, or to discover
something, especially using a special
method
eliminate verb to remove or take away someone or
something
substitute verb to use something or someone instead of
another thing or person
orientate verb to aim something at someone or
something, or make something suitable
for a particular group of people

hereditary adjective (of characteristics or diseases) passing

from a parent to a child through the
genes
imperative adjective extremely important or urgent
from/since time immemorial for a very long time
violation noun an action that breaks or acts against
something, especially a law, agreement,
principle, or something that should be
treated with respect
deceive verb to persuade someone that something
false is the truth, or to keep the truth
hidden from someone for your own
advantage
adequately adverb in a way that is enough or satisfactory
for a particular purpose
converse verb to have a conversation with someone

vulnerable adjective able to be easily physically or mentally

hurt, influenced, or attacked

commute verb to make the same journey regularly

between work and home
structure verb to plan, organize, or arrange the parts of
something
elect verb to decide on or choose, especially to
choose a person for a particular job, by
voting
occur verb (especially of accidents and other
unexpected events) to happen
legislate verb If a government legislates, it makes a
new law
reveal verb to allow something to be seen that,
until then, had been hidden
demonstrate verb to show something and explain how it
works
indicate verb to show, point, or make clear in another
way
establish verb to start having a relationship with, or
communicating with another person,
company, country, or organization

regulate verb to control something, especially by

making it work in a particular way
possess verb to have or own something, or to have a
particular quality
compensate verb to pay someone money in exchange for
something that has been lost or
damaged or for some problem

congested adjective too blocked or crowded and causing

difficulties
detrimental adjective causing harm or damage
adequate adjective enough or satisfactory for a particular
purpose
ubiquitously adverb in a way that seems to be everywhere

ubiquitous adjective seeming to be everywhere

stringently adverb in a way that is strict, severe, or limiting

stringency noun the quality of being very strict, severe,

or limiting
stringent adjective having a very severe effect, or being
extremely limiting
workable adjective A workable plan or system can be used
effectively
viable adjective able to work as intended or able to
succeed
practicable adjective able to be done or put into action
feasibly adverb in a way that could be made, done, or
achieved; possibly
feasible adjective able to be made, done, or achieved
curb verb to control or limit something that is not
wanted
inhabitant noun a person or animal that lives in a
particular place
denizen noun an animal, plant, or person that lives in
or is often in a particular place

city, town, cave, etc. dweller a person who lives in a city, town, cave,
etc.
inculcate verb to fix beliefs or ideas in someone's
mind, especially by repeating them
often
proliferation noun the fact of something increasing a lot
and suddenly in number or amount

proliferate verb to increase a lot and suddenly in

number
augmentation noun the process of increasing the size, value,
or quality of something by adding to it

augment verb to increase the size or value of

something by adding something to it

conducive adjective providing the right conditions for

something good to happen or exist
pivotal adjective central and important
acquaintance noun a person that you have met but do not
know well
admonish verb to tell someone that they have done
something wrong
nefarious adjective (especially of activities) morally bad

utilize verb to use something in an effective way

exploit verb to use something in a way that helps

you
requisite adjective necessary or needed for a particular
purpose
obligation noun the fact that you are obliged to do
something
norm noun an accepted standard or a way of
behaving or doing things that most
people agree with
endorse verb to make a public statement of your
approval or support for something or
someone
squander verb to waste money or supplies, or to waste
opportunities by not using them to your
advantage
accustomed adjective familiar with something
gloomy adjective unhappy and without hope
delinquency noun behaviour, especially of a young person,
that is illegal or not acceptable to most
people
implement verb to start using a plan or system
contaminated adjective poisonous or not pure
inevitable adjective certain to happen and unable to be
avoided or prevented
conserve verb to keep and protect something from
damage, change, or waste
recklessly adverb in a way that is dangerous and shows
that you are not thinking about the risks
and possible results of your behaviour
depletion noun a reduction in something
preserve verb to keep something as it is, especially in
order to prevent it from decaying or
being damaged or destroyed

perishable adjective Perishable food decays quickly

skyrocket verb to rise extremely quickly or make
extremely quick progress towards
success
adverse adjective having a negative or harmful effect on
something
intensive adjective involving a lot of effort or activity in a
short period of time
processor noun the part of a computer that performs
operations on the information that is
put into it
portability noun the quality of being light and small
enough to be easily carried or moved

enormous adjective extremely large

eradicate verb to get rid of something completely or
destroy something bad
discrepancy noun a difference between two things that
should be the same
constitute verb to form or make something
civilization noun a place that has comfortable living
conditions
concurrently adverb at the same time