Below, I’ve divided the 100 C2-level IELTS vocabulary words into four chapters, each containing 25 words with their meanings and example sentences. This structure makes it easier to study and review systematically. Each chapter progresses alphabetically to maintain clarity.
Chapter 1: Words 1–25 (A–C)
- Abate – (v) To reduce in intensity or amount
Example: The noise from the construction site abated late in the evening. - Aberration – (n) A departure from the norm
Example: The sudden snowfall in May was an aberration for the region. - Abstruse – (adj) Difficult to understand
Example: The philosopher’s abstruse theories left the audience puzzled. - Acrimonious – (adj) Bitter or angry in tone
Example: The acrimonious dispute between neighbors lasted for months. - Adroit – (adj) Skillful or clever
Example: The adroit chef prepared a meal in under 20 minutes. - Alleviate – (v) To ease or reduce
Example: Painkillers can alleviate discomfort after surgery. - Ambivalent – (adj) Having mixed feelings
Example: She was ambivalent about accepting the job offer overseas. - Anomaly – (n) Something unusual or irregular
Example: His high score was an anomaly compared to his usual performance. - Arcane – (adj) Mysterious or secret
Example: The arcane symbols on the artifact baffled historians. - Austere – (adj) Strict or simple; lacking luxury
Example: The room’s austere decor reflected his minimalist taste. - Belligerent – (adj) Hostile or aggressive
Example: The belligerent customer shouted at the waiter over a small mistake. - Benevolent – (adj) Kind and generous
Example: The benevolent teacher offered extra help to struggling students. - Bolster – (v) To support or reinforce
Example: Positive reviews bolstered the film’s reputation. - Brazen – (adj) Bold and shameless
Example: The thief made a brazen attempt to steal in broad daylight. - Bucolic – (adj) Relating to peaceful rural life
Example: The bucolic village offered a quiet escape from the city. - Cacophony – (n) A harsh, unpleasant sound
Example: The cacophony of barking dogs woke the entire neighborhood. - Candor – (n) Honesty and frankness
Example: His candor about his mistakes earned him respect. - Capricious – (adj) Unpredictable or impulsive
Example: The capricious child changed his mind every few minutes. - Catalyst – (n) Something that triggers change
Example: The speech acted as a catalyst for social reform. - Chastise – (v) To reprimand or punish
Example: The coach chastised the team for their lack of effort. - Cogent – (adj) Clear, logical, and convincing
Example: Her cogent argument persuaded the committee to approve the plan. - Concur – (v) To agree
Example: I concur with your opinion on reducing waste. - Conundrum – (n) A confusing problem
Example: Solving the puzzle proved to be a real conundrum. - Credulous – (adj) Too willing to believe
Example: The credulous tourist fell for the scam immediately. - Cursory – (adj) Hasty and superficial
Example: A cursory glance at the report missed the key details.
Chapter 2: Words 26–50 (D–G)
- Dearth – (n) A scarcity or lack
Example: There’s a dearth of affordable housing in urban areas. - Debilitate – (v) To weaken
Example: Lack of sleep can debilitate your ability to concentrate. - Deference – (n) Respectful submission
Example: He showed deference to the judge by standing when she entered. - Delineate – (v) To describe or outline precisely
Example: The manager delineated the project goals clearly. - Deride – (v) To mock or ridicule
Example: They derided his suggestion, calling it impractical. - Ebullient – (adj) Cheerful and energetic
Example: Her ebullient personality lit up the room. - Efficacious – (adj) Effective
Example: The new policy proved efficacious in reducing crime rates. - Elucidate – (v) To explain or clarify
Example: Can you elucidate your reasoning behind this decision? - Ephemeral – (adj) Short-lived
Example: The ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms attracts many visitors. - Esoteric – (adj) Known only to a few
Example: The discussion was too esoteric for outsiders to follow. - Facetious – (adj) Inappropriately humorous
Example: His facetious comment during the eulogy offended some attendees. - Fastidious – (adj) Very attentive to detail
Example: The fastidious editor caught every typo in the manuscript. - Feasible – (adj) Possible or practical
Example: Expanding the business now isn’t financially feasible. - Flagrant – (adj) Obviously wrong or offensive
Example: The politician’s flagrant lies shocked the public. - Fortuitous – (adj) Happening by chance, often luckily
Example: A fortuitous rain saved the crops from drought. - Garrulous – (adj) Excessively talkative
Example: The garrulous guest dominated the conversation all night. - Gregarious – (adj) Sociable
Example: His gregarious nature made him popular at school. - Guile – (n) Cunning or deceit
Example: She used guile to outsmart her competitors. - Gullible – (adj) Easily tricked
Example: He was so gullible that he believed the fake news story. - Gusto – (n) Enthusiasm
Example: They sang the anthem with great gusto during the match. - Galvanize – (v) To shock or excite into action
Example: The speech galvanized the crowd to join the cause. - Germane – (adj) Relevant
Example: Her comments were germane to the topic being discussed. - Glib – (adj) Fluent but insincere
Example: His glib response failed to address the real issue. - Gratuitous – (adj) Unnecessary or unwarranted
Example: The film’s gratuitous violence upset many viewers. - Grievous – (adj) Severe or serious
Example: The grievous injury ended his athletic career.
Chapter 3: Words 51–75 (H–O)
- Hapless – (adj) Unlucky
Example: The hapless team lost every game of the season. - Harrowing – (adj) Extremely distressing
Example: The survivors shared harrowing tales of the disaster. - Hegemony – (n) Dominance
Example: The country sought hegemony over its smaller neighbors. - Herculean – (adj) Requiring immense effort
Example: Writing the book was a Herculean task that took years. - Heterogeneous – (adj) Diverse
Example: The audience was a heterogeneous mix of ages and backgrounds. - Iconoclastic – (adj) Challenging traditions
Example: Her iconoclastic art shocked conservative critics. - Idiosyncrasy – (n) A peculiar habit
Example: His idiosyncrasy of humming while working annoyed his colleagues. - Immutable – (adj) Unchangeable
Example: The decision was immutable once the contract was signed. - Impeccable – (adj) Flawless
Example: Her impeccable English impressed the IELTS examiner. - Impervious – (adj) Unaffected
Example: He was impervious to the cold, wearing only a light jacket. - Juxtapose – (v) To place side by side
Example: The exhibit juxtaposed modern and ancient sculptures. - Lament – (v) To mourn or regret
Example: Many lamented the closure of the historic theater. - Lethargic – (adj) Lacking energy
Example: The heat made everyone feel lethargic and unproductive. - Mitigate – (v) To lessen
Example: Recycling can mitigate environmental damage. - Nebulous – (adj) Vague
Example: His explanation was too nebulous to be helpful. - Obdurate – (adj) Stubborn
Example: The obdurate child refused to eat his vegetables. - Ominous – (adj) Threatening
Example: The ominous silence before the storm unnerved everyone. - Obsolete – (adj) Outdated
Example: Typewriters became obsolete with the rise of computers. - Opaque – (adj) Not transparent; hard to understand
Example: The instructions were so opaque that no one could follow them. - Opulent – (adj) Luxurious
Example: The opulent mansion was filled with gold and marble. - Ostentatious – (adj) Showy; meant to impress
Example: His ostentatious watch drew attention at the party. - Obfuscate – (v) To confuse or obscure
Example: The lawyer tried to obfuscate the facts to mislead the jury. - Onerous – (adj) Burdensome
Example: The onerous task of grading papers took all weekend. - Orthodox – (adj) Conventional or traditional
Example: She rejected orthodox methods in favor of innovation. - Overt – (adj) Obvious; not hidden
Example: His overt dislike for the plan was clear to everyone.
Chapter 4: Words 76–100 (P–Z)
- Pernicious – (adj) Harmful
Example: The pernicious influence of rumors damaged their friendship. - Pragmatic – (adj) Practical
Example: A pragmatic solution was needed to address the crisis quickly. - Quixotic – (adj) Unrealistically optimistic
Example: His quixotic vision of a perfect world amused his peers. - Rancor – (n) Bitterness
Example: Despite their rancor, they agreed to work together temporarily. - Repudiate – (v) To reject
Example: She repudiated the accusation that she had lied. - Serendipity – (n) Lucky chance
Example: Meeting her future boss at the café was pure serendipity. - Tacit – (adj) Implied, not spoken
Example: They had a tacit understanding to avoid the topic. - Ubiquitous – (adj) Everywhere
Example: Coffee shops are ubiquitous in big cities. - Vacillate – (v) To waver
Example: He vacillated between staying home and joining his friends. - Zealous – (adj) Passionate
Example: The zealous volunteer worked tirelessly for the charity. - Plausible – (adj) Believable
Example: Her excuse sounded plausible, so we let it slide. - Prolific – (adj) Producing much
Example: The prolific author published three novels in a year. - Querulous – (adj) Complaining
Example: The querulous passenger annoyed the flight attendants. - Resilient – (adj) Able to recover quickly
Example: The resilient community rebuilt after the flood. - Sagacious – (adj) Wise
Example: His sagacious advice helped me avoid a mistake. - Sporadic – (adj) Occasional
Example: Sporadic rain showers disrupted the event. - Tenacious – (adj) Persistent
Example: Her tenacious efforts led to a breakthrough in the case. - Transient – (adj) Temporary
Example: The transient beauty of the fireworks captivated the crowd. - Unscrupulous – (adj) Dishonest
Example: The unscrupulous salesman tricked elderly customers. - Venerate – (v) To respect deeply
Example: They venerate their ancestors with annual ceremonies. - Wary – (adj) Cautious
Example: She was wary of strangers offering help. - Xenophobic – (adj) Fearful of foreigners
Example: His xenophobic remarks offended the diverse audience. - Yearn – (v) To long for
Example: She yearned for the freedom of her childhood days. - Zany – (adj) Amusingly unconventional
Example: His zany sense of humor kept the class entertained. - Zenith – (n) The highest point
Example: Winning the championship was the zenith of her career.
Study Tips
- Chapter by Chapter: Tackle one chapter at a time to avoid overwhelm.
- Practice: Use these words in IELTS writing tasks (e.g., essays) or speaking responses.
- Context: Pair them with collocations (e.g., “mitigate damage,” “tenacious effort”) for natural usage.