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Speaking, writing and arguing: vocabulary list

Words for saying things well, or badly: clear, brief, vague, wordy, persuasive. 116 words with meanings and example sentences.

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abstruse adj level 2

hard to understand because it is deep or complex. The lecture was so abstruse that even the experts looked puzzled.

acerbic adj level 2

sharp and direct in tone. The critic's acerbic wit made her reviews famous.

admonish verb level 2

to warn or scold someone mildly. The teacher gave a look to admonish the noisy class.

ambiguous adj level 1

having more than one possible meaning. The sign was ambiguous, so half the tourists turned left and half turned right.

apparent adj level 1

easy to see or understand; seeming to be true. It was apparent from her smile that the news was good.

articulate adj level 2

able to express ideas clearly and well. An articulate speaker can make a hard topic easy to follow.

banal adj level 2

so ordinary that it is boring. The film's banal dialogue made it forgettable.

belittle verb level 2

to make someone or something seem unimportant. A good coach never belittles a player for a mistake.

bombastic adj level 2

using grand, empty words to impress. The mayor's bombastic speech said very little.

brevity noun level 2

the quality of being short. The speech was praised for its brevity.

cacophony noun level 2

a harsh mix of loud sounds. A cacophony of horns filled the street.

carp verb level 2

to complain in a petty way. Do not carp about small things on a lovely day.

castigate verb level 2

to criticize severely. The coach did not castigate the players but encouraged them.

caustic adj level 2

sharp and bitter in a way that hurts. Her caustic remarks made the whole room go quiet.

censure verb level 2

to criticize someone formally and severely. The committee voted to censure the official for misusing funds.

chicanery noun level 2

the use of clever tricks to deceive. The company was accused of chicanery in its accounts.

circumlocution noun level 2

the use of many words where fewer would do. His circumlocution hid the simple answer.

clamor noun level 2

a loud and confused noise, or a strong public demand. A clamor rose from the crowd at the gates.

cloying adj level 2

sweet or sentimental to a sickening degree. The film's cloying ending left the audience groaning.

cogent adj level 2

clear, logical and convincing. He made a cogent case for changing the schedule.

coherent adj level 1

logical, consistent and easy to follow. Her argument was coherent from the first sentence to the last.

concise adj level 1

giving a lot of information in few words. A concise summary fits on a single page.

convoluted adj level 2

extremely complex and hard to follow. The plot was so convoluted that nobody could explain it.

cryptic adj level 2

having a hidden or mysterious meaning. She left a cryptic note that nobody could decode.

cursory adj level 2

quick and not thorough. He gave the report a cursory glance and missed the error.

debunk verb level 2

to show that an idea or claim is false. The scientist debunked the myth with a simple experiment.

define verb level 1

to state the exact meaning of something. The glossary will define each technical term.

denigrate verb level 2

to criticize unfairly and belittle. It is unkind to denigrate someone's honest effort.

denounce verb level 2

to publicly say that something is wrong. Leaders gathered to denounce the attack.

deride verb level 2

to mock someone or something with scorn. Critics will deride the plan as foolish and costly.

diatribe noun level 2

a long, bitter speech against someone or something. He launched into a diatribe about the price of coffee.

didactic adj level 2

intended to teach, often in a way that sounds like lecturing. The story was too didactic and felt like a lecture.

disparage verb level 2

to speak of something as being of little value. Rivals tried to disparage her achievements.

dispute noun level 1

an argument or disagreement. The dispute over the fence lasted for years.

dissemble verb level 2

to hide one's true feelings or intentions. She tried to dissemble, but her smile did not fool anyone.

divulge verb level 2

to reveal something private or secret. He refused to divulge the name of his source.

duplicity noun level 2

deliberate deceit in what one says or does. His duplicity was revealed when the letters were found.

elaborate adj level 1

very detailed and carefully worked out. They made elaborate plans for the surprise party.

elicit verb level 2

to draw out a reaction or answer. The magician's trick failed to elicit a single gasp.

eloquent adj level 2

fluent and persuasive in speech or writing. The eloquent speech moved the whole audience.

embellish verb level 2

to make more attractive by adding details. Do not embellish the facts when you tell the story.

empirical adj level 2

based on observation or experiment rather than theory. The claim needs empirical support, not just opinion.

ephemeral adj level 2

lasting only a very short time. Soap bubbles are beautiful but ephemeral.

equivocal adj level 2

open to more than one interpretation; deliberately vague. His equivocal reply left everyone unsure of his plans.

esoteric adj level 2

understood by only a small group with special knowledge. The club discussed esoteric points of chess theory.

evanescent adj level 2

lasting only a very short time; fading quickly. The evanescent glow of the fireflies faded by midnight.

evident adj level 1

easily seen or understood. It was evident from her smile that the news was good.

exaggerate verb level 1

to describe something as larger or more serious than it is. He tends to exaggerate how far he walks to school.

explicit adj level 2

clearly and fully stated, leaving no doubt. The rules are explicit about when to arrive.

extol verb level 2

to praise enthusiastically. Reviewers extol the novel as a masterpiece.

facetious adj level 2

treating serious matters with silly humor. A facetious remark spoiled the serious mood.

feign verb level 2

to pretend to feel or be something. She would feign sleep to avoid doing the dishes.

flamboyant adj level 2

striking and confident in style. He wore a flamboyant scarf of orange and gold.

garrulous adj level 2

talking a lot, especially about unimportant things. The garrulous neighbour could talk for an hour about the weather.

germane adj level 2

relevant to the subject being discussed. Please keep your comments germane to the topic.

glib adj level 2

fluent but not sincere or deep. His glib answer did not explain anything.

hackneyed adj level 2

overused and no longer fresh or interesting. The movie relied on hackneyed plot twists.

harangue verb level 2

to lecture someone at length in an angry way. The coach would harangue the team after every loss.

hypocrisy noun level 2

pretending to have beliefs one does not hold. It is hypocrisy to preach thrift and then overspend.

illustrate verb level 1

to explain or show something using examples or pictures. The chart illustrates how prices rose over ten years.

implicit adj level 2

suggested but not directly stated. There was an implicit warning in her tone.

imply verb level 1

to suggest something without saying it directly. His silence seemed to imply that he disagreed.

ineffable adj level 2

too great or beautiful to be put into words. The view from the summit filled her with ineffable joy.

insipid adj level 2

lacking flavour or interest. The soup was insipid and needed salt.

interpret verb level 1

to explain the meaning of something. Two critics can interpret the same poem in opposite ways.

invective noun level 2

harsh insulting language. The debate descended into invective.

justify verb level 1

to show or prove that something is reasonable. She had to justify every cost in the budget.

laconic adj level 2

using very few words. His laconic reply was a single word: "Fine."

laud verb level 2

to praise highly. Critics lauded the film's stunning photography.

laudable adj level 2

deserving praise. Her goal of cleaning the river is laudable.

loquacious adj level 2

very talkative. The loquacious guide never stopped talking.

lucid adj level 2

clearly expressed and easy to understand. A lucid explanation cleared up the confusion.

malign verb level 2

to say harmful and untrue things about someone. Do not malign a person who cannot defend himself.

mediate verb level 1

to help two sides reach an agreement. A neutral teacher was asked to mediate the argument.

mendacious adj level 2

not telling the truth. The mendacious witness was caught in several lies.

mundane adj level 2

ordinary and lacking excitement. She wrote about the mundane details of daily life.

nebulous adj level 2

vague and not clearly defined. He had only a nebulous idea of what the job involved.

obscure adj level 1

not well known; or hard to understand. The author was obscure until her third novel became a hit.

obvious adj level 1

easy to see or understand. The answer was obvious once she saw the whole diagram.

opaque adj level 2

not able to be seen through; hard to understand. The opaque glass let in light but hid the view.

ornate adj level 2

richly decorated with detail. The ornate ceiling was covered in gold leaf.

ostentatious adj level 2

designed to impress with show or wealth. The ostentatious mansion had gold on every door.

perfunctory adj level 2

done quickly with little care. He gave the room a perfunctory sweep and left.

pertinent adj level 2

directly relevant to the matter at hand. She asked a pertinent question about the budget.

pithy adj level 2

short and full of meaning. His pithy advice fit on a single card.

plausible adj level 1

seeming reasonable or likely to be true. The excuse sounded plausible until we checked the dates.

prattle verb level 2

to talk at length about unimportant things. The children prattle on about their toys.

preposterous adj level 2

completely absurd or ridiculous. The idea that cats can fly is preposterous.

pretentious adj level 2

trying to seem more important or cultured than one is. The pretentious menu used words nobody understood.

prosaic adj level 2

plain and unimaginative; ordinary. Her prosaic answer disappointed those hoping for a story.

ratify verb level 2

to formally approve an agreement. The council must ratify the contract.

rebuke verb level 2

to speak sharply to someone for doing wrong. The teacher will rebuke any student who cheats.

rebuttal noun level 2

an argument that shows another claim to be false. The lawyer prepared a detailed rebuttal.

recant verb level 2

to say publicly that you no longer hold a belief. Under pressure, the witness chose to recant his story.

refute verb level 2

to prove that a claim is wrong. The data refute the claim that the river is polluted.

resolve verb level 1

to find a solution to a problem or disagreement. They met to resolve the scheduling conflict.

retract verb level 2

to draw back, or to take back a statement. The newspaper had to retract the false story.

rhetoric noun level 2

the art of persuasive speaking or writing. The candidate's rhetoric stirred the crowd.

sardonic adj level 2

grimly mocking or scornful. He gave a sardonic smile at the bad news.

scathing adj level 2

severely critical. The reviewer wrote a scathing report on the play.

slander noun level 2

a false spoken statement that harms someone's name. He sued the paper for slander.

spartan adj level 2

simple, plain and without comfort. The soldier lived in a spartan room with a single bed.

strident adj level 2

loud and harsh in sound. The strident alarm woke the whole street.

succinct adj level 2

brief and clearly expressed. A succinct email is more likely to be read.

tacit adj level 2

understood without being said. They had a tacit agreement not to mention the argument.

tedious adj level 2

tiresome because it is long and dull. The tedious lecture lasted three hours.

terse adj level 2

brief to the point of seeming rude. His terse reply made it clear he was annoyed.

tirade noun level 2

a long angry speech. She launched into a tirade against the late bus.

transient adj level 2

lasting only a short time; passing. The island has a transient population of summer workers.

trite adj level 2

overused and so lacking in freshness. The card was full of trite phrases.

vague adj level 2

not clear or definite. Her directions were too vague to follow.

vehement adj level 2

showing strong feeling or force. He gave a vehement denial of the charge.

veracity noun level 2

the quality of being true or honest. No one doubted the veracity of her account.

verbose adj level 2

using more words than needed. The verbose report could have been half as long.

vilify verb level 2

to speak about in an abusively critical way. The newspaper began to vilify the mayor.

vociferous adj level 2

expressing opinions loudly and forcefully. The vociferous critics demanded an answer.

Other topics: People and character · Feelings and attitudes · Thinking and judging · Change, time and action · Size, amount and kind · Science and research · Society, work and rules

Words to enjoy and learn from. These are original lists, and we do not claim any word appears on any particular test.