VOCAB C2 LEVEL

Capricious: changing one’s mind quickly and often

Example: The boss’s capricious mood swings made it difficult for employees to know what to expect.

Cogent: convincing or believable

Example: The lawyer presented a cogent argument that swayed the jury in his client’s favor.

Didactic: intended to teach, often in a moralizing way

Example: The children’s book had a didactic tone, with a clear message about the importance of
kindness

Equanimity: calmness and composure, especially in difficult situations

Example: Despite the chaos around her, the doctor maintained her equanimity and focused on saving
her patient’s life.

Fastidious: very attentive to detail, often excessively so

Example: The chef was fastidious about the freshness of the ingredients, carefully inspecting each one
before using it in his dishes.

Gratuitous: unnecessary, without reason or cause

Example: The violence in the movie was gratuitous, serving no purpose other than to shock the
audience.

Harbinger: a sign of things to come, often used to describe something negative

Example: The sudden drop in the stock market was a harbinger of an economic recession.

Inscrutable: difficult to understand or interpret, often used to describe people’s expressions or

behavior
Example: The poker player’s inscrutable face made it impossible to tell if he had a good hand or not.
Meticulous: very careful and precise, paying close attention to detail
Example: The accountant was meticulous in her calculations, double-checking every figure to ensure
accuracy.

Nebulous: vague or unclear, often used to describe ideas or concepts

Example: The politician’s platform was nebulous, with no clear plan for how to accomplish

Ostracize: to exclude someone from a group or society

Example: After the scandal, the company decided to ostracize the CEO, refusing to work with him
again.

Pedantic: overly concerned with minor details, often in a way that is annoying or tedious
Example: The professor’s pedantic lecture on grammar was so boring that half the class fell asleep.

Quandary: a difficult situation or problem, often with no obvious solution

Example: The team was in a quandary when the star player was injured and unable to play in the
championship game.

Rancor: bitter, long-lasting resentment or hatred

Example: Despite the passage of time, the two former friends still held rancor toward each other.

Sagacious: having good judgment or wisdom

Example: The CEO’s sagacious decision to invest in new technology helped the company stay ahead of
its competitors.

Tenacious: persistent, not easily giving up or letting go

Example: The lawyer’s tenacious pursuit of justice helped her win a difficult case.
Ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere
Example: In today’s world, smartphones are ubiquitous, with almost everyone owning one.

Vex: to annoy or frustrate someone

Example: The constant interruptions from her coworker vexed the employee, making it difficult to
focus on her work.

Wistful: having a feeling of sadness or regret, often with a longing for something that can’t be
obtained
Example: The old man looked wistfully out the window, remembering his youth and the opportunities
he had missed.

Zealot: a person who is fanatical or uncompromising in pursuit of their beliefs or goals

Example: The political zealot refused to listen to anyone who disagreed with him, insisting that he was
always right.

Ostensible: seeming or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so

Example: The ostensible reason for the meeting was to discuss budget cuts, but in reality, it was a
strategy session for the upcoming election.

Pedantic: overly concerned with minor details, often to the point of being annoying
Example: The English teacher’s pedantic corrections of students’ grammar and punctuation were not
helpful to their overall understanding of the literature.

Quotidian: ordinary, mundane, or everyday

Example: Despite his fame and fortune, the actor’s life was largely filled with quotidian tasks like
going to the grocery store and doing laundry.

Recalcitrant: stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Example: The recalcitrant student refused to follow the teacher’s instructions and ended up getting
detention.

Sanguine: optimistic, cheerful, and confident, often in the face of difficulty

Example: Despite setbacks, the entrepreneur remained sanguine about the future of her business and
continued to work hard.

Tenuous: weak or fragile, often used to describe a connection or relationship

Example: The tenuous bond between the two countries was strained even further by the recent
conflict.

Ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere

Example: In today’s society, smartphones are ubiquitous and almost everyone has one.

Vacillate: to be indecisive, to waver back and forth between choices

Example: The politician vacillated on the issue, unable to make up his mind on how to proceed.

Wistful: yearning or longing, often for something that cannot be attained

Example: Looking out at the sunset, she felt wistful for the carefree days of her youth.
Zealous: enthusiastic and passionate, often to an extreme degree
Example: The zealous fan base of the band camped out for days to get tickets to their concert.