Let’s be honest—using fancy words can make you sound either brilliant or like you swallowed a thesaurus for breakfast. The trick is knowing the right words and how to use them naturally. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 100 Best Vocabulary Words with Meanings and Sentences — not just random “big words,” but ones that’ll actually make your writing, speaking, and even texting a little sharper and more expressive. Whether you’re a student polishing essays, a writer hunting for better phrasing, or just someone who loves words (welcome to the club!), these examples will help you sound smarter—without trying too hard.
Advanced Vocabulary Words with Meanings and Sentences
1. Adjure (Verb):
Meaning: To urge or command someone solemnly to do something.
Sentence: The priest adjured the witnesses to speak the truth.
2. Badinage (Noun):
Meaning: Playful or witty conversation.
Sentence: Their light badinage kept the dinner lively and cheerful.
3. Carp (Verb):
Meaning: To complain or find fault continually.
Sentence: He always carps about the smallest inconveniences.
4. Capitulate (Verb):
Meaning: To surrender or give in.
Sentence: The rebels finally capitulated after weeks of fighting.
5. Clandestine (Adjective):
Meaning: Done secretly or kept hidden.
Sentence: They held a clandestine meeting to discuss the escape plan.
6. Cogent (Adjective):
Meaning: Clear, logical, and convincing.
Sentence: Her cogent argument changed everyone’s mind.
7. Conflagration (Noun):
Meaning: A large destructive fire.
Sentence: The forest was destroyed in a massive conflagration.
8. Corpulent (Adjective):
Meaning: Fat or overweight.
Sentence: The corpulent man struggled to climb the stairs.
9. Cursory (Adjective):
Meaning: Hasty and lacking attention to detail.
Sentence: He gave the report a cursory glance before signing.
10. Deleterious (Adjective):
Meaning: Harmful or damaging.
Sentence: Smoking has deleterious effects on health.
11. Demure (Adjective):
Meaning: Modest, reserved, or shy.
Sentence: Her demure smile captivated everyone at the party.
12. Deride (Verb):
Meaning: To mock or ridicule.
Sentence: The critics derided his latest novel as unimaginative.
13. Disdain (Noun):
Meaning: A feeling of contempt or scorn.
Sentence: She looked at the rude waiter with obvious disdain.
14. Ebullient (Adjective):
Meaning: Full of energy and enthusiasm.
Sentence: His ebullient personality brightened the whole room.
15. Effulgent (Adjective):
Meaning: Shining brightly; radiant.
Sentence: The effulgent sunrise painted the sky in gold.
16. Enervate (Verb):
Meaning: To weaken or drain energy.
Sentence: The long illness enervated her body and mind.
17. Ephemeral (Adjective):
Meaning: Lasting for a very short time.
Sentence: Beauty is ephemeral, but kindness lasts forever.
18. Equanimity (Noun):
Meaning: Calmness and composure, especially in difficult situations.
Sentence: He faced the crisis with remarkable equanimity.
19. Esoteric (Adjective):
Meaning: Understood by only a small number of people.
Sentence: The professor’s lecture on quantum mechanics was too esoteric for most students.
20. Excoriate (Verb):
Meaning: To criticize severely.
Sentence: The press excoriated the government for its poor response.
21. Fastidious (Adjective):
Meaning: Very attentive to detail.
Sentence: She’s fastidious about keeping her kitchen spotless.
22. Fatuous (Adjective):
Meaning: Silly and pointless.
Sentence: His fatuous remarks annoyed everyone at the table.
23. Fortuitous (Adjective):
Meaning: Happening by chance; lucky.
Sentence: Their meeting at the airport was purely fortuitous.
24. Garrulous (Adjective):
Meaning: Excessively talkative.
Sentence: My garrulous uncle never runs out of stories to tell.
25. Histrionic (Adjective):
Meaning: Overly dramatic or theatrical.
Sentence: Her histrionic reaction made everyone uncomfortable.
26. Impeccable (Adjective):
Meaning: Perfect, flawless.
Sentence: His impeccable manners impressed the guests.
27. Impetuous (Adjective):
Meaning: Acting without thinking.
Sentence: His impetuous decision led to financial trouble.
28. Ineffable (Adjective):
Meaning: Too great to be expressed in words.
Sentence: The beauty of the mountains was simply ineffable.
29. Innocuous (Adjective):
Meaning: Harmless or inoffensive.
Sentence: His joke was completely innocuous.
30. Inscrutable (Adjective):
Meaning: Difficult to understand or interpret.
Sentence: Her expression was inscrutable as she listened.
31. Juxtapose (Verb):
Meaning: To place side by side for comparison.
Sentence: The artist juxtaposed light and dark colors beautifully.
32. Laconic (Adjective):
Meaning: Using few words; brief.
Sentence: His laconic reply hinted at irritation.
33. Magnanimous (Adjective):
Meaning: Generous and forgiving.
Sentence: She was magnanimous in victory, congratulating her rival warmly.
34. Mendacious (Adjective):
Meaning: Lying or untruthful.
Sentence: The politician was known for his mendacious statements.
35. Myriad (Adjective):
Meaning: Countless or innumerable.
Sentence: There are myriad stars in the night sky.
36. Nebulous (Adjective):
Meaning: Vague or unclear.
Sentence: His explanation was too nebulous to be useful.
37. Nonchalant (Adjective):
Meaning: Calm and unconcerned.
Sentence: He remained nonchalant despite the chaos around him.
38. Obdurate (Adjective):
Meaning: Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion.
Sentence: The judge remained obdurate in his decision.
39. Obfuscate (Verb):
Meaning: To make something unclear or confusing.
Sentence: The company’s report only served to obfuscate the real issue.
40. Ostentatious (Adjective):
Meaning: Showy or pretentious.
Sentence: His ostentatious display of wealth was quite tasteless.
41. Parsimonious (Adjective):
Meaning: Extremely unwilling to spend money.
Sentence: My parsimonious uncle reuses the same teabag all week.
42. Pernicious (Adjective):
Meaning: Harmful, often in a subtle way.
Sentence: Social media can have a pernicious effect on self-esteem.
43. Perspicacious (Adjective):
Meaning: Having keen understanding or insight.
Sentence: She’s a perspicacious reader who catches every detail.
44. Petulant (Adjective):
Meaning: Childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
Sentence: He became petulant when things didn’t go his way.
45. Pragmatic (Adjective):
Meaning: Dealing with things sensibly and practically.
Sentence: Her pragmatic approach solved the problem quickly.
46. Quandary (Noun):
Meaning: A state of uncertainty or confusion.
Sentence: I’m in a quandary about whether to quit my job.
47. Resilient (Adjective):
Meaning: Able to recover quickly.
Sentence: She’s resilient and bounces back from setbacks easily.
48. Sagacious (Adjective):
Meaning: Wise and shrewd.
Sentence: The sagacious leader guided the team through crisis.
49. Supercilious (Adjective):
Meaning: Arrogant and condescending.
Sentence: His supercilious tone annoyed everyone in the meeting.
50. Ubiquitous (Adjective):
Meaning: Present everywhere.
Sentence: Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern life.
Advanced Vocabulary Words with Meanings and Sentences
51. Umbrage (Noun):
Meaning: A feeling of offense or resentment.
Sentence: She took umbrage at his rude comment during the meeting.
52. Vacillate (Verb):
Meaning: To waver between different opinions or actions.
Sentence: He kept vacillating between studying medicine and law.
53. Vehement (Adjective):
Meaning: Showing strong feeling; forceful or passionate.
Sentence: The politician made a vehement speech against corruption.
54. Verbose (Adjective):
Meaning: Using too many words.
Sentence: His verbose explanation made the topic more confusing.
55. Vicissitude (Noun):
Meaning: A change or variation in circumstances.
Sentence: They remained friends through the vicissitudes of life.
56. Vindicate (Verb):
Meaning: To clear from blame or suspicion.
Sentence: The evidence finally vindicated her from all accusations.
57. Vicarious (Adjective):
Meaning: Experienced through the feelings or actions of another person.
Sentence: She lives vicariously through her daughter’s adventures.
58. Vile (Adjective):
Meaning: Extremely unpleasant or wicked.
Sentence: The food had a vile smell that made everyone nauseous.
59. Venerate (Verb):
Meaning: To regard with great respect.
Sentence: People venerate the wise monk for his teachings.
60. Wane (Verb):
Meaning: To decrease in strength or intensity.
Sentence: Her enthusiasm began to wane after several failures.
61. Wary (Adjective):
Meaning: Cautious and alert.
Sentence: Be wary of online scams and fake offers.
62. Winsome (Adjective):
Meaning: Attractive in a sweet or innocent way.
Sentence: Her winsome smile melted everyone’s heart.
63. Xenophobia (Noun):
Meaning: Dislike or fear of foreigners.
Sentence: Xenophobia often arises from ignorance and fear.
64. Yearn (Verb):
Meaning: To long or crave for something.
Sentence: He yearned for the comfort of his childhood home.
65. Zealous (Adjective):
Meaning: Passionate and enthusiastic.
Sentence: The zealous volunteer worked tirelessly for the cause.
66. Abstruse (Adjective):
Meaning: Difficult to understand.
Sentence: The professor’s abstruse lecture confused most of the students.
67. Adulation (Noun):
Meaning: Excessive praise or admiration.
Sentence: The singer was uncomfortable with the constant adulation from fans.
68. Alacrity (Noun):
Meaning: Eagerness and promptness.
Sentence: She accepted the invitation with surprising alacrity.
69. Anachronism (Noun):
Meaning: Something out of its proper time period.
Sentence: Using a typewriter today feels like an anachronism.
70. Antipathy (Noun):
Meaning: Strong dislike or opposition.
Sentence: There’s a deep antipathy between the two rival teams.
71. Apathy (Noun):
Meaning: Lack of interest or enthusiasm.
Sentence: Public apathy is a major barrier to political reform.
72. Audacious (Adjective):
Meaning: Bold, daring, or fearless.
Sentence: It was an audacious plan to climb the world’s tallest mountain.
73. Austere (Adjective):
Meaning: Simple and without luxury.
Sentence: The monk lived an austere life in a small cabin.
74. Bellicose (Adjective):
Meaning: Warlike or aggressive in nature.
Sentence: His bellicose attitude made him unpopular with his peers.
75. Bombastic (Adjective):
Meaning: High-sounding but with little meaning.
Sentence: The speech was full of bombastic promises and empty words.
76. Cajole (Verb):
Meaning: To persuade through flattery or coaxing.
Sentence: She managed to cajole her parents into letting her go on the trip.
77. Candor (Noun):
Meaning: The quality of being honest and open.
Sentence: I appreciate your candor, even when the truth is hard to hear.
78. Capitulate (Verb):
Meaning: To surrender or give up resistance.
Sentence: The enemy was forced to capitulate after losing all supplies.
79. Chagrin (Noun):
Meaning: Distress caused by humiliation or disappointment.
Sentence: To his chagrin, his plan failed miserably.
80. Circumspect (Adjective):
Meaning: Cautious and unwilling to take risks.
Sentence: Investors were circumspect about entering the volatile market.
81. Coherent (Adjective):
Meaning: Logical and consistent.
Sentence: Her explanation was clear and coherent.
82. Complacent (Adjective):
Meaning: Self-satisfied and unaware of danger.
Sentence: We must not become complacent after our first success.
83. Convoluted (Adjective):
Meaning: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
Sentence: The movie’s convoluted plot confused the audience.
84. Credulous (Adjective):
Meaning: Too ready to believe things.
Sentence: Only a credulous person would fall for that scam.
85. Cryptic (Adjective):
Meaning: Having a hidden or mysterious meaning.
Sentence: The letter contained a cryptic message no one could decode.
86. Dearth (Noun):
Meaning: A scarcity or lack of something.
Sentence: There’s a dearth of skilled workers in the industry.
87. Deft (Adjective):
Meaning: Skillful and quick.
Sentence: The chef’s deft hands crafted the perfect sushi roll.
88. Deluge (Noun):
Meaning: A flood or overwhelming amount.
Sentence: The company received a deluge of complaints after the product launch.
89. Disparate (Adjective):
Meaning: Essentially different or distinct.
Sentence: The committee included people with disparate opinions.
90. Dogmatic (Adjective):
Meaning: Strongly opinionated without considering others’ views.
Sentence: He’s too dogmatic to accept new ideas.
91. Egregious (Adjective):
Meaning: Outstandingly bad or shocking.
Sentence: The journalist exposed the company’s egregious safety violations.
92. Elucidate (Verb):
Meaning: To make something clear; explain.
Sentence: The teacher used diagrams to elucidate the concept.
93. Empirical (Adjective):
Meaning: Based on observation or experience rather than theory.
Sentence: The scientist relied on empirical evidence for her conclusions.
94. Ennui (Noun):
Meaning: Boredom from lack of excitement.
Sentence: After months of isolation, he was filled with ennui.
95. Flagrant (Adjective):
Meaning: Obviously offensive or bad.
Sentence: The referee ignored a flagrant foul during the game.
96. Gregarious (Adjective):
Meaning: Sociable and outgoing.
Sentence: She’s a gregarious host who loves entertaining guests.
97. Hackneyed (Adjective):
Meaning: Overused and unoriginal.
Sentence: The movie was full of hackneyed dialogue.
98. Idiosyncrasy (Noun):
Meaning: A peculiar habit or characteristic.
Sentence: Biting her lip when nervous is one of her idiosyncrasies.
99. Ineffable (Adjective):
Meaning: Too great to describe in words.
Sentence: The beauty of the sunset was ineffable.
100. Lurid (Adjective):
Meaning: Shockingly vivid or sensational.
Sentence: The tabloid published a lurid story about the celebrity’s scandal.
Tips to Improve Your English Vocabulary
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Learn a few new words daily.
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Read English books, news, and blogs regularly.
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Use new words in speaking and writing.
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Revise weekly and test yourself.
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Group related words by theme (e.g., emotions, work, travel).
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Listen to English podcasts and repeat phrases aloud.
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Think in English — not in translation.
FAQ – Advanced Vocabulary Words
1. How do I remember these words?
Don’t cram—learn a few each day and actually use them. Slip them into chats or notes; that’s how they stick.
2. Can I use these in real life?
Totally! Just don’t overdo it. Sprinkle them naturally so you sound smart, not snobby.
3. How many should I learn daily?
Even 3–5 a day is great. Consistency beats speed every time.
4. Are these good for exams and essays?
Yes! They make your writing sound sharper and more confident.
Final Thoughts
If you made it this far—congrats, word nerd! You just leveled up your vocabulary game big time. But don’t feel pressured to memorize all 100 words in one sitting (your brain isn’t a USB drive). Pick a few that you like, try using them in real life, and let them roll off your tongue naturally. The more you use them, the easier they’ll stick. Language is meant to be fun, expressive, and a little bit playful—so go ahead, drop a “fortuitous” or “gregarious” in your next convo and watch people be impressed.