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В своей прошлой статье я упоминал о словах, которые в английском называются fancy words – что на русский можно перевести как «слова высокого стиля». Любой человек, который изучает язык, знает, что для этого нужно, помимо всего прочего, следить за тем, как говорят люди вокруг него. Для русского языка исключений быть не должно; несмотря на то, что для нас он родной, его изучение продолжается каждый день и не закончится до последнего из них. При этом по человеку сразу видно, сколько внимания он уделяет языку: вы явно заметите, если кто-то рядом с вами будет говорить не привычное «я думаю» раз за разом, а будет перемежать его с «я полагаю», «я предполагаю», «я считаю». Все это – синонимы, по частоте появления которых в речи можно легко отделить человека, не забывающего про свой язык.

Fancy words тоже являются синонимами, но особой, более редкой группы. Представьте, что, помимо вышеперечисленных эквивалентов «я думаю», ваш собеседник начал свое суждение так: «я помыслил». А может, и еще с какого слова, о котором я, к своему стыду, не ведаю, так как читаю на русском не так много, как хотелось бы. А надо бы.

Я подвожу вас к тому, что в английском языке все то же самое. Существует ряд слов и словоформ, которые нечасто встретишь в речи обывателей и которые могут обогатить и украсить вашу речь, выделив вас среди других изучающих английский. Это также подтвердит вашу любовь к языку, ведь без любви к языку, повторяю я и еще много раз буду повторять, изучать его затруднительно и безынтересно. В этом вторая функция fancy words – показать, насколько разнообразен и красив в этом своем разнообразии изучаемый язык, чтобы развить к нему особое чувство.

В этой статье я предлагаю ознамиться с совсем небольшой частью арсенала слов высокого стиля английского языка. В качестве первой порции – слова, тщательно и бережно собранные мною из книг, как старатели собирают золото из приисков. Все они имеют в качестве синонимов более или менее общеупотребительные слова, так что у вас будет шанс, если вы общаетесь лично или по переписке с иностранцами, вставить одно-другое в свои реплики. Обратите внимание, что я говорю «одно-другое», ведь с fancy words очень важно не переборщить, чтобы про вас не подумали, будто вы свой словарный запас выставляете напоказ. Не забывайте, что к этим словам обычно стоит пометка либо «книжное», либо «устаревшее», то есть их чаще всего употребляют все-таки в художественной и исторической литературе. Поэтому я вовсе не советую их заучивать – наоборот, советую не заучивать, ведь их знание вызвано не необходимостью, а интересом. В своей первой статье для этого сайта «Как я запоминал слова» я писал, что наверняка запоминаются только те слова, которые, когда вы их произносите, оставляют приятный привкус на языке. Зубрежка подавляет это ощущение. Не зубрите – просто познавайте.

Скорее всего, такое собрание, будучи первым, не станет последним – в целях удовлетворения своего и вашего интереса я продолжу искать синонимы высокого стиля и к другим словам, которые часто используются в повседневном общении. А пока что – до новых!

behest [bɪ’hest] — распоряжение, директива, указание, приказ = order

beseech [bɪ’sɪ:ʧ] — заклинать, молить, упрашивать = beg

besmirch [bɪ’smɜːʧ] — пятнать, чернить, позорить (репутацию, имя) = spoil

blithe [blaɪð] — веселый, жизнерадостный = happy

countenance [‘kaunt(ə)nən(t)s]- лицо, выражение лица = facial expression

demur [dɪ’mɜː] – возражение = protest

to disport [dɪs’pɔːt] oneself — развлекаться, веселиться = to have fun

doughty [‘dautɪ] — бесстрашный, смелый, отважный = brave

evanescent [ˌevə’nes(ə)nt]- исчезающий, растворяющийся, тускнеющий = disappearing

famished [‘fæmɪʃt] – голодный = hungry

firmanent [‘fɜːməmənt] — небесный свод = sky

hirsute [‘hɜːs(j)uːt] — волосатый, заросший волосами = hairy

inebriate [ɪ’niːbrɪət] – пьяница = drunk

knave [neɪv] — жулик, плут, мошенник, нечестивый человек = con

mien [miːn] – манера = manner

methinks [mɪ’θɪŋks]- я считаю, я думаю, мне кажется = I think

morass [mə’ræs] – болото = marsh 

perfidy [‘pɜːfɪdɪ] — измена, предательство, вероломство = betrayal

provenance [‘prɔv(ə)nən(t)s] — происхождение, источник = source

rapacious [rə’peɪʃəs] — жадный, алчный = greedy

repast [rɪ’pɑːst] — прием пищи = meal

rive [raɪv] – разрезать = cut

sapience [‘seɪpɪən(t)s] — мудрость, рассудительность = wisdom

sortilege [‘sɔːtɪlɪʤ] – гадание = fortune-telling

stalwart [‘stɔːlwət] – верный, преданный, надежный = loyal

surmise [sə’maɪz] — догадка, предположение, прозрение = guess

susurrus [s(j)uː’sʌrəs] — шепот, шорох = whisper

valedictory [ˌvælɪ’dɪkt(ə)rɪ] – прощальный = concluding

variegated [‘veərɪgeɪtɪd] – разнообразный = various

wroth [rəuθ] — разгневанный, озлобленный = angry

Generating fancy text

So perhaps, you’ve generated some fancy text, and you’re content that you can now copy and paste your fancy text in the comments section of funny cat videos, but perhaps you’re wondering how it’s even possible to change the font of your text? Is it some sort of hack? Are you copying and pasting an actual font?

Well, the answer is actually no — rather than generating fancy fonts, this converter creates fancy symbols. The explanation starts with unicode; an industry standard which creates the specification for thousands of different symbols and characters. All the characters that you see on your electronic devices, and printed in books, are likely specified by the unicode standard.

Unicode text

Amongst the hundreds of thousands of symbols which are in the unicode text specifications are certain characters which resemble, or are variations of the alphabet and other keyword symbols. For example, if we can take the phrase «thug life» and convert its characters into the fancy letters «𝖙𝖍𝖚𝖌 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊» which are a set of unicode symbols. These different sets of fancy text letters are scattered all throughout the unicode specification, and so to create a fancy text translator, it’s just a matter of finding these sets of letters and symbols, and linking them to their normal alphabetical equivalents.

Unicode has a huge number of symbols, and so we’re able to create other things like a wingdings translator too. Also if you’re looking for messy text, or glitchy text, visit this creepy zalgo text generator (another translator on LingoJam).

Copy and paste

After generating your fancy text symbols, you can copy and paste the «fonts» to most websites and text processors. You could use it to generate a fancy Agario name (yep, weird text in agario is probably generated using a fancy text converter similar to this), to generate a creative-looking instagram, facebook, tumblr, or twitter post, for showing up n00bs on Steam, or just for sending messages full of beautiful text to your buddies.

The only exception is if your paste destination has a font which doesn’t support some unicode characters. For example, you’ll might find that some websites don’t use a unicode font, or if they do, the font doesn’t have all the characters required. In that case, you’ll see a generic «box» in which was created when the browser tries to create a fancy letter. This doesn’t mean there’s an error with this translator, it just means the website’s font doesn’t support that character.

Mildly off topic, but you might also be interested in Facebook emojis — that’s a massive searchable list of all the emojis that you can use in your Facebook posts and chat. And actually, I made an 🐌 Emoji Translator 🎲 which you might like.

If there’s anything that I can do to improve this online fancy generator thing (e.g. by adding other font styles that you’ve found), then please let me know in the suggestions box! If you’ve some found new beautiful fonts that can be copy-pasted and that aren’t in this generator, please share them below as well. Thanks!

• #1

Hello,

Please explain what does the bold part mean? Especially, I don’t get «fancy trying«!
I just guess she tried not to be formal as before, and be more friendly with her husband.

«Do you have time for a cuppa?» She never normally referred to a pot of Earl Grey as a cuppa. And fancy trying to make up for your plain Englishness by suggesting tea.

Thank you.
It’s part of «The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry»by Rachel Joyce, British writer.

• #2

It’s hard to give an exact paraphrase here, but «fancy» is working as a part of an exclamation expressing surprise. Are you surprised that a guest arrived at your party without a gift? «Fancy coming to a birthday party and not bringing a gift!» I suppose «Fancy X!» means more or less «It is surprising/shocking that X!»

• #3

Thanks, Glen. She was years so formal, and serious with her husband, But now that she meets him after a month, or more, she has missed him so much that now tries to show her affections to him.

• #4

«Fancy», as it is used in this passage, is a British expression. It means imagine; that’s the word we’d use in AE.

• #5

Thanks, Pala. But what about the rest of sentence? Does it mean she suggested tea in order to avoid her Englishness?

• #6

She is said to be trying to make up for her ‘plain Englishness,’ which is not entirely clear to me, but perhaps it means that normally she’s simple and straighforward, unaffected in her English ways, but now she affecting courtesy and exaggerated friendliness—a kind of Englishness that doesn’t suit her, as she’s previously known.

As Parla said, «imagine» is a good AE synonym, here. «Imagine [that is, it strains credulity] trying to make up for your plain-spoken ways, by speaking of a ‘cuppa’! «

• #7

Thanks Benny for your explanation.

• #8

Hi. Now that I come back to this sentence, it is still unclear. What is strange about being English, and suggesting a cup of tea? I guess the point is about Earl gray.

• #9

Hullo Maryam. I’ve been backwards and forwards through the quote you gave and … like Glen, I can’t really explain what any of this means. Who is ‘she’? what kind of person is she? who’s doing the ‘commentary’ on her? what’s going on?
In other words, we need more context and background

• #10

Maureen comes to visit his husband, Harold. It’s a long time that Harold has left her, to see his old dying friend. Before he left home, Maureen was unkind, and behaved like a stranger to him for a long long time. But since he has left home, she began to like, remember and even miss him. Now that she sees him, invites Harold to a cup of tea. She was unkind to him because of a tragic event that had happened 20 years ago. It is the writer, or maybe herself that makes commentary.

Last edited: Feb 1, 2015

• #11

Hi Maryam

This is Maureen talking to herself. Just before this we’re told about a man with no shoes shouting in the street that «Jesus came on earth to shop». Harold has made a remark about the man — a remark which

… was more generous than anything else, as if the strangeness of others was a marvellous thing, but it made her feel overwhelmingly parochial.

In the comment you quote, she’s laughing wryly at herself. It’s ironic — and rather comical — that she should try to show that she’s not really a ‘plain English person’ by suggesting tea: a quintessentially English drink.

Last edited: Feb 1, 2015

• #12

Hi, dear Loob. And lots of thanks for your kind answer. May I ask what do you mean by «plain»?

• #13

I used the word «plain» because it was in the original quote: And fancy trying to make up for your plain Englishness by suggesting tea.

It’s a slightly odd choice by the author, but I think it’s harking back to the earlier word «parochial», which means (to quote from the WR English dictionary)

narrow in outlook or scope; provincial

So I think the idea of «plain» is «not cosmopolitan/not sophisticated».

• #14

It was a great help. Many thanks, Loob.

Language specialists confirm that people with a good education, those who read more, and those who like to explore new things have a bigger and richer vocabulary. You might think this automatically means that using big words makes you intelligent. Well no, that’s not how it works. It often happens that people use big words to sound smart without even understanding what that word means. Needless to say, the effect is quite often the opposite. 

But besides knowing the meaning of words, you should also be aware of the appropriate situations to use them in. For one, even though the more common and the fancy word might have the same general meaning, a small nuance often makes them inapplicable in certain situations. On top of that, using high vocabulary words that belong in a textbook or a novel when you order a coffee or explain to a friend why you liked the movie you watched last night, sounds ridiculous, to say the least. Similarly, special words that are only understandable to people of a certain profession shouldn’t be forced into a conversation if you are not talking to your colleagues. They don’t make you sound smarter; they make you sound incomprehensible.  

That said, it absolutely does not mean that you should always stick to basic vocabulary. There are hundreds of beautiful words in English, same as in any other language, that can expand your vocabulary and make you an interesting and pleasant counterpart. Remember that the actual goal of every conversation is to find the perfect words to describe your thoughts and feelings, not to dazzle the person you are talking to with some long and arguably unnecessary words.

Below you will find a lot of interesting words with their definitions to help you expand your English vocabulary. How many of them did you already know? Make sure you use them responsibly and also tell us in the comments if there are any fancy words you especially enjoy.

Fancy vs Try For — What’s the Difference?

Are You in Vogue?

Now let’s discuss the third category of abusage: vogue words. By “vogue words” I mean words that for some reason suddenly become fashionable, and that people use constantly without considering whether they have any useful purpose or force. Vogue words may be old or new, long or short, but the one thing they have in common is their popularity, which leads to their being worn out by “excessive and mechanical repetition,” as Wilson Follett puts it in Modern American Usage (1966). In short, vogue words are the words that lazy writers and speakers reach for when they are trying to sound intelligent and original but don’t have anything interesting to say.

As you may recall from my tirade in Level 5, unique is a prime example of a vogue word. Have you noticed how everything is “so very unique” these days? Apparently, the time has passed when something was just unusual or uncommon. To top it off, the precise meaning of unique is not simply “unusual” or “uncommon” but “one of a kind, matchless, without peer.” Once you know that, it doesn’t make sense to qualify unique with such words as very, most, or somewhat. How can something be very unique or somewhat unique if it already is peerless, one of a kind?

You may also recall, from the end of Level 6, my objurgation regarding the vogue word impact. In The Writer’s Art (1984), James J. Kilpatrick says impact has “fastened like fatty tissue to the arteries of our language.” He’s right. No longer can something have a plain effect; it must have a dull impact. No longer can we say that something influenced or affected us—the banal vogue demands we say it impacted us. In my vocabulary, your teeth or your bones can be impacted, wedged together; and an impact is a collision or violent blow. But those who follow the vogue have taken all the force out of this word and used it as a feeble substitute for influence or effect. Today we are bombarded with environmental impact studies, warnings about the impact of inflation, and vicissitudes that may adversely impact the stock market.

As if that’s not enough to make a verbally advantaged person contemplate the impact of a bullet on the brain, the impact virus now is mutating into even more pernicious forms! For example, I have come across the word impactful in print, in an ad for a laptop computer that said, “Presentations are impactful. Engaging. Impressive.”

Why did that tin-eared writer use impactful? What’s wrong with saying the presentations are engaging and impressive—or for that matter, effective, outstanding, striking, splendid, gripping, stunning, sensational, or electrifying? Why invent such an ugly word when so many attractive ones are available? Please, dear reader, for the health and welfare of the English language I implore you to abstain from using impact or any of its odious offspring.

Our next vile vogue word is viable. The precise meaning of viable is able to live, able to take root and grow, capable of independent existence, as a viable plant, a viable fetus, a viable culture, or a viable industry. Today, however, people are using viable to mean “possible, workable, doable.” When I hear about “viable plans” and “viable alternatives,” I wonder where they’re going to live, who’s going to put them up. If you want a fancy word for possible, try conceivable, and if you want a fancy word for workable or doable, try practicable—pronounced in four syllables: PRAK-ti-kuh-buul.

Next in the Top 40 of Vogue we have “The Ize Brothers”: maximize, finalize, prioritize, concretize, sensitize, optimize, secretize, incentivize, and many more awkward and pretentious verbs ending in -ize. In The Appropriate Word (1990), J. N. Hook notes that -ize is “an unbeautiful verb ending, often criticized by writers on usage, yet frequently necessary, as criticize itself illustrates.” In The Careful Writer, Theodore M. Bernstein wisely comments that the suffix -ize can either help the language grow in a wholesome way, or make it grow “stuffy and grotesque.”

Criticize, sterilize, socialize, and hospitalize are useful because they streamline expression. A coinage like incentivize is not only ugly and outlandish but also unnecessary, because the language already contains words that express its meaning, such as excite, encourage, and stimulate. Remember, if you hear a strange buzzing in your ears, watch out for a pompous and promiscuous use of the suffix -ize.

According to devotees of the vogue, people don’t talk, speak, or converse anymore. Instead they dialogue, as “We dialogued about it for an hour over lunch.” I’m sorry, but it’s high time to put a muzzle on that one. Other horrifying vogue words include interface, which should not be allowed to show its face outside of computer science; methodology used to mean method; decisioned used to mean decided; and proactive, which the dictionaries now tell us means “acting in anticipation” of something but which the voguesters in business and government all seem to use to mean either “acting to show that we’re acting” or “acting as if we know what we’re doing.”

The poet W. H. Auden once claimed that “nine-tenths of the population do not know what 30 percent of the words they use actually mean.” I would wager that most people use words like impact, prioritize, methodology, and proactive not because they’re trying to use the right word but because they’re trying to appear with it or smart. As H. W. Fowler remarks in his classic guide, Modern English Usage (1926), vogue words are “words owing their vogue to the joy of showing one has acquired them.”

Finally, there are the catch phrases that are so often repeated that they lose whatever shred of meaning or force they might have had. Think about how often you have heard—and perhaps used—these phrases: calculated risk, cautiously optimistic, credibility gap, communication gap, the bottom line, quantum leap, phase out, cutting edge, state of the art, meaningful dialogue, peer group, considered judgment, factors to be considered, decision-making process, learning experience, positive consequences, it remains to be seen, and in regard to—or worse, the illiterate in regards to.

Those are just a handful of the scores of fashionable but vapid or nebulous expressions that the careful writer and speaker rephrases or avoids. Keep your eyes and ears open, and whenever you suspect that a word or phrase is becoming weak from overwork, it’s a good bet that it’s been bitten by the vogue.

In The Writer’s Art (1984), columnist James J. Kilpatrick relates an anecdote about former secretary of commerce Malcolm Baldrige, who was so infuriated with the gobbledegook and doublespeak of the Washington bureaucracy that he issued a memo “demanding ‘short sentences and short words, with emphasis on plain English, using no more words than effective expression requires.’ Thus, for starters,” writes Kilpatrick, Baldrige “banned from departmental correspondence and papers such words as maximize, institutionalize, and interface,” along with such phrases as “bottom line and serious crisis and material enclosed herewith.” I can just see all the bureaucrats “interfacing” and “dialoguing” around the coffee maker, being “cautiously optimistic” about “maximizing” their “bottom line.” Somebody had to “impact” their “parameters,” right?

There are two lessons to be learned here: Look hard before you leap on the verbal bandwagon, and beware the ostentatious allure of the popular but enervated word. As Wilson Follett writes in Modern American Usage (1966), “When repeated use has worn down the novelty, the word we hear and the associations we sense are not what they were at first…. Skill in expression consists in nothing else than choosing the fittest among all possible words, idioms, and constructions.”

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary.

A 10-step vocabulary program teaches 500 key words and 3,000 synonyms.

Verbal Advantage provides a complete learning experience, with clear explanations of meanings, word histories, usages, pronunciation, and more. Far more than a cram session for a standardized test, the book is designed as a lifetime vocabulary builder, teaching a vocabulary shared by only the top percentage of Americans, with a proven method that helps the knowledge last.

Read more

When it comes to fancy yet useful words, the English language has tons to offer. Here are 25 examples of smart words that you can use in daily conversation. 

As an English learner, one of the best feelings in the world is creating better English sentences. There’s just something very satisfying in knowing some smart words to use in a conversation and using them. We all had that “Yes, I did it!” moment after using something we learned in real life. 

Adding beautiful words in your vocabulary has some benefits as well. Some of the advantages of learning powerful words are
improving English pronunciation, better-articulated speeches, and better reading and listening comprehension. Besides, it makes you feel and sound smart, which you can use to your advantage professionally.

Why Sounding Smart Is A Good Thing? 

Did you know that there’s a benefit when you sound fluent
like a native speaker? According to a
Harvard Business Review study, an applicant’s voice and sound can affect the employer’s impression during interviews. The more confident and smart-sounding your voice is, the better you can fare in job interviews. 

Using big words can be frowned upon and even ridiculed by some English speakers. After all, there are times that these complicated words can be frustrating and irritating to the listener. If misused, they make you sound incoherent instead of smart. Make sure that you understand the word you’re going to use in a sentence. Here are other tips to sound smarter and more confident when speaking in English. 

• Check and fix your posture (stand straight, but remain relaxed)

• Speak loud and clear

• Use matching body language 

• Use appropriate words based on the audience.

• Always practice your English daily.

25 Impressively Useful Words That Can Make You Sound Smarter

According to
Merriam-Webster, no one knows the
exact amount of English words ever created. However, an individual is said to use 20,000 to 30,000 words in daily conversations. New words are also made annually, primarily from interactions on the internet. If you want to spice up your speech and sound fluent, use these 25 smart words.

1. Repertoire

• A person’s list of talents and skills 

• In formal language, repertoire means all songs and plays a performer can perform without fail.

Example: 

Chris knows how to play the piano, bass, drums, and guitar. His musical repertoire is quite extensive.

Damian has a wide repertoire of champions he can play in League of Legends. 

2. Accolade 

• Acknowledgment of someone’s excellent performance

• A similar term for award or honor

Example:

The team’s hard work has finally paid off! Receiving the highest accolade in the contest is worth all the sacrifices they made. 

Did you hear? Allan received the highest accolade from the Science Fair. What a lucky guy. 

3. Exacerbate

• Worsen a situation that is already bad

• Make bad things severe.

Example:

Steven thought opening the window can put out the fire. Unfortunately, this further exacerbated the problem. 

Shouting at her while she’s mad will only exacerbate her mood, so calm yourself before making a conversation. 

4. Quid Pro Quo 

• A material or favor received for doing or giving something else. 

• A favor for a favor; give and take

Example:

How about this? I’ll give you this book when you give me that book? Quid Pro Quo? 

Daenerys and Jon agreed on a quid pro quo: she will help him defeat his enemies in exchange for his loyalty. 

5. Rendezvous 

• A meeting place and date agreed upon by two parties

• The location and time where two or more parties can meet together 

Example: 

Do you have any problem with the rendezvous? We can adjust the particular details when the boss gets back. 

Luffy is once again late for the rendezvous. I swear I’m going to give him an earful when he arrives. 

6. Touche 

• Acknowledging someone’s good point during an argument

• Can be used to appreciate someone’s clever point

Example: 

Danny: Do you think Jon knows how to solve this math problem? 

Tyrion: He knows nothing about math. 

Danny: Hmm, touche. 

7. Fiasco

• Can be used to describe something that failed miserably

• A complete failure; a great disaster

Example: 

Have you seen the last season of “Game of Thrones”? It was a total fiasco!

“The Room” is considered a fiasco by a lot of people. But the memes from that movie have been viral. 

8. Ostentatious

• An act which is done to obviously seek attention

• Giving a show to impress other people

Example: 

Darius likes showing off his wealth. He’ll grab every chance to show his ostentatious lifestyle. 

Garen has been admired in the military due to his display of skills and humility. He was never ostentatious nor arrogant when teaching his juniors. 

9. Tranquil

• The state of being relaxed/calm

• Free from any distraction or agitation

• A word to describe a peaceful and quiet environment

Example:

Nothing beats the tranquil ocean during the sunset. It’s a magnificent view worth seeing every day. 

The village is so tranquil, it’s a nice place to settle down and start a family. 

10. Flummoxed

• Extreme confusion or bewilderment

• A state of utter confusion; perplexed

Example:

The instruction was written poorly; no wonder he got so flummoxed and made a wrong input. 

Cristina cannot understand anything about the lesson; she was so flummoxed. 

I hope this example doesn’t make you flummoxed. 

11. Capricious

• Sudden changes in mood or behavior

• Unpredictable

• Changing from time to time

Example:
She suddenly became angry and walked off, and I don’t know why. Women are so capricious sometimes!

Short-term stock trading is challenging when the economy and stock market are in a capricious state. 

12. Concur (Concurred)

• To agree to an opinion or a statement

• To have the same opinion as another person.

• Synonym of “agree.”

Example: 

The team concurred to spend the next vacation on a nearby beach resort. 

Now that I think about it, you’re right about the whole situation. I concur and support your decisions.  

13. Quintessential

• Being the best example of something/someone

• A perfect representation of a class or a quality

Example:

Macky is a very reckless driver. He’s the perfect quintessential guy insurance companies would like to avoid. 

Jack Ma’s from-rags-to-riches tale is a quintessential success story of not giving up. 

14. Red Herring

• An idea or things  that takes the audiences’ attention away from the central matter

• Is a term that refers to a thing that diverts people’s attention from the main focal point

Example:

He’s just redirecting the attention to other people to bury his controversies away from the spotlight. Please don’t fall on his red herrings. 

The investigation revealed that one piece of evidence found on the scene was actually a red herring. 

15. Cacophony

• A loud and displeasing sound

• Deafening or boisterous noises

Example: 

The cacophony from my neighbor’s ridiculously large sound system never fails to wake me up each morning. 

Although the band has a lot of aesthetic qualities, the cacophony in their sound fails to maintain the crowd’s attention. 

16. Cajole

• To persuade someone with gentle coaxing

• Reducing reluctance  with praises and flattery

Example:

After a couple of voluntary housework and good grades, Rocky finally managed to cajole his parents to let him go on a hiking trip. 

The hardest thing to do when you’re under pressure is to cajole yourself to keep going. 

17. Revel 

• To greatly enjoy doing something

• To party and have a good time with other people

• Feasting/celebrating

Example: 

Happy Birthday! Let’s spend the night revealing with good food and good karaoke session. 

Chad is out and might not come back until tomorrow. He’s currently out with friends for their weekly late-night revels.

18. Dapper

• Someone (usually a man) dressed up in a classy and dashing fashion

• A man who is sporting a neat and elegant look

Example:

I remember him! He is that dapper gentleman who danced with me at the ball. 

Michael can’t seem to find the best outfit for a dapper-inspired look in his wardrobe. 

19. Fortuitous

• A very unexpected surprise; accidental; by chance

• When something pleasant happens unexpectedly

• Fortunate or lucky

Example: 

When Tom met Summer for the first time, he knew at that moment that it was a fortuitous event.

Norman deemed today’s routine walk fortuitous after bumping and catching up with an old childhood friend. 

20. Fastidious

• A very detail-oriented person

• Someone who likes everything to be perfect up to the smallest detail

• Having high standards (adj)

Example: 

Conny’s fastidious character makes her one of the best event organizers in the area. 

When it comes to food, the chef always makes sure that everything is perfect and passes his fastidious standards. 

21. Idyllic

• Extremely pleasant, peaceful, and safe;

• This word often used to describe time, place, or personal experiences

Example: 

She remembered her childhood as one of the most idyllic times of her life. 

 If you want to live an idyllic lifestyle, consider living close to nature. 

22. Bonafide

• A genuine classification

• Authentic and real 

• Can be used to describe a good intention

Example: 

It is confirmed that the excavated jars and cutleries from the new digging sites are bona fide relics from the Pax Romana era. 

Take it, it’s a bona fide good offer if you ask me. 

23. Innocuous

• Harmless in nature

• Inoffensive

• Innocent and friendly

Example:

That innocuous puppy look was all it takes to convince me. 

Even behind those innocuous smiles, you can tell that he’s planning something wicked. 

24. Prolific

• Someone or something that has an abundant productivity

• Being extremely productive

• Fast growth or generation

Example:

The harshness of the weather in the wild prompted the prolific improvement of his survival skills. 

Beethoven was known as a prolific composer and pianist, as well as one of the best classical musicians ever.

25. Peevish

• The state of being extremely irritable

• Being irritated or frustrated over the smallest things

• Someone who is bad-tempered

Example: 

May is not very good at controlling her words and facial expressions when she’s peevish. 

Oh no, what have I done? She’s got that peevish face on, I’m in big trouble. 

The peevish patient has been waiting for the doctor’s arrival for 30 minutes.  

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing wrong with using fancy words that can make you sound smarter. The problem starts when you’re using words that you don’t fully understand. As always, practice makes everything perfect, so continue expanding your English vocabulary. Talk to other English speakers or learners to learn more about the language. 

Are you having some difficulties in learning how to use the words above?
Professional tutors from JustLearn can help you understand these words and practice real-life usages. You can arrange classes that fit your schedule and learning needs. Don’t forget to check other articles for tips on learning new languages. Enjoy learning! 

Full list of words from this list:

1. nonsensical

   having no intelligible meaning

2. reclusive

   withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

3. perpetually

   everlastingly; for all time

4. quandary

   state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options

5. lewd

   suggestive of or tending to moral looseness

6. recluse

   one who lives in solitude

7. conundrum

   a difficult problem

8. mishap

   an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

9. depravity

   moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles

   ahlak bozukluğu, azgınlık

10. flatulence

    a state of excessive gas in the alimentary canal

11. impeccable

    without error or flaw

12. impromptu

    with little or no preparation or forethought

13. tentative

    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion

    kararsız/kesin olmayan,deneme niteliğinde

14. effigy

    a representation of a person

15. ephemeral

    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day

16. rambunctious

    noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline

    delişmen; ele avuca sığmaz

17. quibble

    evade the truth of a point by raising irrelevant objections

    baştan savma cevap, kaçamaklı söz,lafı çevirmek

18. trope

    language used in a nonliteral sense

19. dismal

    causing dejection

    kederli, neşesiz, kasvetli

20. ineffable

    defying expression or description

    ağıza alınmaz; tarif olunamaz;kelimelerle ifade edilemez

21. pinnacle

    a slender upright spire at the top of a buttress or a tower

22. incarnation

    act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas

23. deviant

    a person whose behavior does not conform to social norms

24. inconsequential

    lacking worth or importance

25. sectarian

    of or relating to a subdivision of a larger religious group

26. inconspicuously

    in a manner intended to avoid attracting attention

27. bereavement

    state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one

28. disavow

    refuse to acknowledge

29. jock

    a person trained to compete in sports

30. transcend

    go beyond the scope or limits of

31. vile

    morally reprehensible

32. prophylactic

    preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease

33. cataclysmic

    severely destructive

34. abyss

    a bottomless gulf or pit

35. backpedal

    reverse or retreat from one’s position on an issue

36. elongate

    lengthen

37. farfetched

    highly imaginative but unlikely

38. forthwith

    without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

39. corroborate

    give evidence for

40. dismissal

    the sending away of someone

41. pretentious

    creating an appearance of importance or distinction

42. sustain

    lengthen or extend in duration or space

43. contraband

    distributed or sold illicitly

44. restitution

    the act of restoring something to its original state

45. perennial

    lasting an indefinitely long time

46. proponent

    a person who argues for a cause or puts forward an idea

47. demented

    affected with madness or insanity

48. trite

    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

49. invigorating

    imparting strength and vitality

50. invigorate

    give life or energy to

51. denounce

    speak out against

52. precarious

    not secure; beset with difficulties

53. decadent

    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable

54. decadent

    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable

55. facade

    the front of a building

56. flophouse

    a cheap lodging house

57. vial

    a small bottle that contains liquid medicine

58. conjure

    summon into action or bring into existence

59. thrifty

    mindful of the future in spending money

60. discourse

    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic

61. callow

    young and inexperienced

62. disdain

    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

63. detractor

    one who disparages or belittles the worth of something

64. delinquent

    a young offender

65. disparaging

    expressive of low opinion

66. disparage

    express a negative opinion of

67. scion

    a descendent or heir

68. volition

    the act of making a choice

69. ensue

    take place or happen afterward or as a result

70. dissemination

    the act of dispersing or diffusing something

71. diffusion

    the act of dispersing something

72. reek

    give off smoke, fumes, warm vapour, steam, etc.

73. hoodwink

    conceal one’s true motives from

74. protagonist

    the principal character in a work of fiction

75. nepotism

    favoritism shown to relatives or friends by those in power

76. exegesis

    an explanation or critical interpretation

77. steadfast

    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

78. abominable

    unequivocally detestable

79. distressed

    feeling general unhappiness

80. contentious

    showing an inclination to disagree

81. kindred

    group of people related by blood or marriage

82. strident

    unpleasantly loud and harsh

83. proponent

    a person who argues for a cause or puts forward an idea

84. hypochondriac

    a patient with imaginary symptoms and ailments

85. burlesque

    a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor

86. indulgent

    given to yielding to the wishes of someone

87. indulge

    yield to; give satisfaction to

88. simpleton

    a person lacking intelligence or common sense

89. finicky

    fussy, especially about details

90. sanctimonious

    excessively or hypocritically pious

91. commiseration

    feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

92. prominent

    conspicuous in position or importance

93. solitary

    not growing or living in groups or colonies

94. tart up

    dress up in a cheap and provocative way

95. disillusioned

    freed from false ideas

96. homebody

    a person who seldom goes anywhere

97. pecuniary

    relating to or involving money

98. deposition

    the act of putting something somewhere

99. arbiter

    someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue

100. preeminent

     greatest in importance, degree, or significance

101. ameliorate

     make better

102. amity

     a state of friendship and cordiality

103. solidarity

     a union of interests or purposes among members of a group

104. rift

     a narrow fissure in rock

105. impasse

     a situation in which no progress can be made

106. inadvertently

     without knowledge or intention

107. demarche

     a move or step or maneuver in political or diplomatic affairs

108. perpetrate

     perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

109. entrenched

     dug in

110. naivety

     lack of sophistication or worldliness

111. recalcitrance

     the trait of being unmanageable or uncooperative

112. collectively

     in conjunction with; combined

113. contingent

     determined by conditions or circumstances that follow

114. esoteric

     understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

115. complicity

     guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense

116. indelible

     not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased

117. mortify

     cause to feel shame

118. malfeasance

     wrongful conduct by a public official

119. palpable

     capable of being perceived

120. omniscient

     knowing, seeing, or understanding everything

121. apprehensive

     in fear or dread of possible evil or harm

122. haughty

     having or showing arrogant superiority

123. cantankerous

     stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

124. waver

     pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

125. abase

     cause to feel shame

126. abnegate

     deny or renounce

127. allot

     give out

128. conscientious

     characterized by extreme care and great effort

129. deluge

     a heavy rain

130. deprave

     corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

131. effulgent

     radiating or as if radiating light

132. feigned

     not genuine

133. impetuous

     characterized by undue haste and lack of thought

134. pantomime

     a performance using gestures and movements without words

135. recuse

     disqualify oneself as a judge in a particular case

136. rhetorical

     relating to using language effectively

137. stern

     serious and harsh in manner or behavior

138. exhort

     spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts

139. parlance

     a manner of speaking natural to a language’s native speakers

140. scrupulous

     characterized by extreme care and great effort

141. penance

     voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something

142. portent

     a sign of something about to happen

143. bawdy

     humorously vulgar

144. impassioned

     characterized by intense emotion

145. profess

     confess one’s faith in, or allegiance to

146. teetotaler

     someone who abstains from drinking alcoholic beverages

147. zit

     a small inflamed elevation of the skin

148. sycophant

     a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

149. swindle

     (offensive) deprive of by deceit

150. tripe

     lining of the stomach of a cow (used as food)

151. entourage

     the group following and attending to some important person

152. acquiesce

     agree or express agreement

153. indoctrinate

     teach uncritically

154. concoct

     make something by mixing

155. tutelage

     attention and management implying responsibility for safety

156. folly

     the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

157. toil

     work hard

158. buffoon

     a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

159. futility

     uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result

160. respite

     a pause from doing something

161. admonition

     a firm rebuke

162. rebuke

     an act or expression of criticism and censure

163. grace

     elegance and beauty of movement or expression

164. repudiate

     refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid

165. intrepid

     invulnerable to fear or intimidation

166. impeccable

     without error or flaw

167. sycophant

     a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

168. taciturn

     habitually reserved and uncommunicative

169. ricochet

     spring back; spring away from an impact

170. indignant

     angered at something unjust or wrong

171. insinuation

     an indirect (and usually malicious) implication

172. belie

     be in contradiction with

173. conjecture

     believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

Created on March 3, 2012
(updated April 17, 2013)