IELTS WORDLIST 04

1. Abstruse 11. Compunction

(secret ; hard to understand; known only to the ( feelings of shame and regret about doing something
chosen few; esoteric; abstruse ; arcane; cryptic; wrong ; remorse ; scruple ; hesitation )
enigmatic ) He feels no compunction, nor any compulsion to clear his
I am as befuddled as you are when I try to read that name.
deliberately abstruse text. 12. Scrub
2. Contentious ( clean, rub, scour, polish, brush, burnish, cleanse )
( argumentative ; creating disagreement; quarrelsome ; Or, scrub the pot with half a lemon sprinkled with kosher
provocative; polemical; disputatious ) salt, and rinse thoroughly.
We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room. 13. Enervate
3. Onerous ( to weaken somebody's physical, mental, or moral
( representing a great burden or much vitality; debilitate ; wear out ; enfeeble )
trouble ; difficult ; arduous; tedious having She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to
disadvantageous obligations; ) the window enervated her.
He asked for an assistant because his work load was too 14. Indelible
onerous. ( permanent; fixed; unforgettable; lasting; enduring )
4. Artefact (also Artifact) In the aftermath of the attack, families of the victims were left
( object made by human; relic; archeological find ) to deal with the indelible burden of grief inflicted on them by
The largest Roman artefact anywhere, it runs a total of 74 the terrorists.
miles in northern England. 15 . Aggravate
5. Rescind (annoy, vex, irritate, exasperate / make something
( to remove the validity or authority of something; cancel worse, exacerbate)
something; repeal decision; overturn ) I left the party early so the noise would not aggravate my
Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind headache
his order. 16. Dilapidated
6. Incendiary ( partly ruined or decayed, especially as a result of
(containing chemicals that might cause neglect; rundown, derelict )
fire; inciting civil unrest inflammatory; aggressive) We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of
This incendiary rhetoric, Chege believes, helped fuel the paint.
Rwandan civil war of 1994 in which 850,000 Tutsi died. 17. Constraint
7. Exhale (restriction, limiting factor, constriction)
(to breathe out; to puff out; respire) Lack of funding has been a major constraint on the
As you exhale through the mouth, make a "ha" sound while building's design.
opening your mouth 18. Obtrusive
8. Buttress ( tending to intrude or force opinions on other people;
( a solid structure, usually made of brick or stone, that is pushy ; meddlesome / highly noticeable, often with a bad
built against a wall to support it; somebody or something or unwelcome effect / projecting or sticking out)
that gives support; prop) Even features that initially seem obtrusive turn out to be
Then Livingston raised the issue of Watergate to buttress his integral.
argument. 19. Perquisite
9. Tenacity ( privilege, gratuity, perk, bonus, extra, freebie)
( tending to stick firmly to any decision, plan, or opinion ; Their managers operate without perquisites like reserved
firmness; persistency ; adhesiveness; doggedness ) parking or club memberships.
It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit 20. Gouge
such as smoking. ( carve out hole ; to attack somebody's eye with the
10. Holistic thumb; overcharge somebody )
(all-inclusive, rounded, full, complete, general, universal, In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit,
whole ) kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.
These clinics also employ holistic approaches to cancer
treatment such as meditation, visualisation, massage.

Pg 01 PIE | Aslam Khayer

IELTS WORDLIST 04

21. Mundane
( ordinary, humdrum, monotonous, tedious, dreary, banal 31. Indigenous
/related to matters to this world) ( native, original, aboriginal, homegrown, local, ethnic )
I don't mind doing a job which is low paying, I just don't want Are there any species of frog indigenous to the area?
it to be mundane. 32. Indolent
22. Sagacious ( lethargic and not showing any interest or making any
( having or based on a profound knowledge and effort ; sluggish, slothful, apathetic, laid-back, torpid, lax,
understanding of the world combined with intelligence languid )
and good judgment ; keen ; shrewd ; having insight ; It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights
sage ; erudite ; astute ) become a prey to the active.
He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that. 33. Unwitting
23. Utilitarian (unknowing, unintentionally)
( believing value lies in usefulness / practical, functional, Some portray the family as unwitting dupes of conspiracy
effective ) theorists.
His office is very utilitarian in style, with no decoration. 34. Tenable
24. Ubiquitous ( reasonable, acceptable, defensible, plausible, rational,
( present everywhere at once; omnipresent ; pervasive ; sound, justifiable )
permeating ) His theory is no longer tenable in light of the recent
That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed discoveries.
ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went. 35. Nascent

25. Perpetual ( just beginning to develop; incipient ; growing ;

( everlasting, unending, eternal, enduring ) embryonic ; burgeoning )
The country is in a perpetual war, with no end in sight. If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their
nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble
26. Abstruse
in later years.
( difficult to understand; obscure, perplexing, rarefied,
36. Derogatory
highbrow, recondite )
( expressing criticism or a low opinion; disparaging;
It's often stimulating, but too abstruse for the average
reader.
pejorative; critical; insulting; offensive, deprecating;
27. Epitomize belittling )
I resent your derogatory remarks.
( exemplify, summarize, embody, symbolize )
This incident epitomizes all that is wrong with modern 37. Impair
society. ( weaken something ,blight, mess up)
28. Covetous
His memory was so impaired by age that he often forgot
where he was.
( a person who has a strong desire to possess something
that belongs to somebody else; avaricious; eagerly
38. Incarcerate
( to put somebody in prison or in a place
desirous of / a person who desires to have something
or situation of confinement ; detain )
very much )
The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction.
The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the
39. Fiasco
toys belonging to his classmates.
29. Luxuriant
( a total failure, especially a humiliating or ludicrous one;
( growing abundantly , productive ) a debacle; shambles; flop )
Some of the volcanic soil is barren, but much of the district is Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced
clothed in luxuriant vegetation. to flee.
30. Dissident
40. Conspicuous
( somebody who publicly disagrees with an established ( easily or clearly visible; attracting attention through
political or religious system or organization; being unusual or remarkable )
nonconformist; unorthodox ) There are vast slums and shanties and a conspicuous
homeless population in the heart of downtown.
The torture of dissident writers and common thieves is
clearly wrong.

Pg 02 PIE | Aslam Khayer

IELTS WORDLIST 04

41. Inquisition 51. Crotchety

( a succession of detailed and relentless questions; an ( irritable and difficult to please ; grumpy, irritable ;
inquiry or investigation that is harsh or unfair; inquiry, cantankerous ; touchy ; surly ;cranky; whimsical)
inquest, investigation ) Although he was reputed to be a crotchety gentleman, I
The police subjected him to an inquisition that lasted 12 found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.
hours. 52. Expend
42. Linger (to use up time, energy, effort, or some other resource; to
( stay behind, hang back, hang on, hang around, loiter, spend money or an amount of money)
dawdle ) The Karens and Shans who settle in the plains expend much
He lingered in bed and missed breakfast. more care in ploughing and weeding their crops.
43. Stringent 53. Foolhardy
( rigorous or severe ; strict, rigorous, stern, harsh, tough, (showing boldness or courage but not
inflexible, rigid ) wisdom or good sense; rash; reckless; rash; imprudent)
The most stringent laws in the world are useless unless there Grimm has pointed out that the behaviour of Ulysses in that
is the will to enforce them. story is senseless and foolhardy, utterly beneath the wise and
44. Trinket much-enduring Ulysses of the Trojan war.
( small item of little value/something trivial ) 54. Genre
He bought her trinkets and took her to the theatre. (one of the categories of artistic works; category ; genus )
45. Agile Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved
(able to move quickly and with suppleness, skill, and himself equally skilled in either genre.
55. Impinge
control; mentally quick ; sprightly ; dexterous )
They climb with great facility, and are agile and graceful in ( to affect the limits of something, especially a right or
their movements. law, often causing some kind of restriction;
46. Rugged infringe ; collide with; encroach )
( rocky, craggy, jagged /strong/well-built, sturdy ) How could they be married without impinging on one
She did a painting of the region's rugged coastline. another’s freedom.
56. Inkling
47. Augment
( to add to something in order to make it ( a vague idea or suspicion about a fact, event, or person;
larger or more substantial ; expand ; amplify; strengthen, hint; clue)
This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the
boost; intensify )
slightest inkling of your plans.
How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are
57. Pertinacious
deserting us?
48. Camaraderie ( determinedly resolute in purpose, belief, or action;
( a feeling of close friendship and trust among a group of stubborn; persistent; tenacious; obdurate )
He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will
people; good-fellowship; amity )
not permit him to quit.
What he loved best about his job was the sense of
camaraderie he and his co-workers shared. 58. Reprimand
49. Chivalrous
( v. and v. to rebuke somebody for a wrongdoing; scold ;
( considerate and courteous; faithful; brave; gallant ) chide; reproof ; reprove severely )
Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds. I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show
them my report card.
50. Conscientious
(showing great care, attention, and industriousness in
59. Senile
( forgetful, confused, or otherwise mentally less acute in
carrying out a task or role ; governed by or done
later life; occurring in or believed to be characteristic of
according to somebody's sense of right and wrong;
later life, especially the period after the age of 65 years )
scrupulous ; painstaking ; punctilious)
Senile dementia has been around for as long as people have
A conscientious editor checked every definition for its
had the means of recording it.
accuracy.

Pg 03 PIE | Aslam Khayer