Difficult IELTS Words

boundary  

n. dividing line; border; frontier

boycott  

v. refrain from buying or using

brace  

v. confront with questions; prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger

brashness  

n. characteristic of being brash; trait of being rash and hasty; tasteless showiness

breach  

n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or rift

brisk  

a. marked by speed, liveliness, and vigor; energetic; swift; keen or sharp in speech or manner

browse  

v. graze; skim or glance at casually

brush  

n. short and sometimes occasional encounter or experience

bulge  

v. cause to curve outward; swell up; stick out; protrude

bumbler  

n. someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence

bungalow  

n. small house or cottage usually having a single story and attic

buoyant  

a. able to float; cheerful and optimistic

bureaucracy  

n. over-regulated administrative system

burgeon  

v. grow forth; send out buds; grow or develop rapidly

burrow  

n. tunnel; hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter; dig; move through by or as by digging

bustle  

v. move or cause to move energetically and busily; teem

bypass  

v. to avoid by using an alternative channel or route

calamity  

n. event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; disaster; misery

calcium  

n. silvery, moderately hard metallic element

calorie  

n. unit of heat; unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree

canny  

a. careful; pleasant; shrewd

canteen  

n. vessel used by soldiers for carrying water, liquor, or other drink; snack bar or small cafeteria, as on a military installation

capsule  

n. small container; spacecraft to transport people in outer space

caption  

n. title; chapter heading; text under illustration

carcass  

n. dead body of an animal especially one slaughtered and dressed for food

cascade  

n. a stream or sequence of something, a waterfall

cast  

v. throw something, especially light; throw with force; hurl

catalogue  

v. to creat or add to a systematic and complete list of item

catalyst  

n. agent which brings about chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged

catastrophe  

n. great, often sudden calamity; complete failure; sudden violent change in the earth's surface

caustic  

a. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action

censor  

n. overseer of morals; official responsible for removal of objectionable or sensitive content

centenary  

a. relating to a 100-year period; occurring once every 100 years

ceramic  

a. of or pertaining to pottery; relating to the art of making earthenware; as, ceramic products; ceramic ornaments for ceilings.

certification  

n. document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts; confirmation that some fact or statement is true through the use of documentary evidence

certify  

v. give certain information to; assure; make certain

cessation  

n. a stopping or discontinuance of action

chamber  

n. room in a house, especially a bedroom; hall for the meetings of a legislative or other assembly; enclosed space

characterize  

v. distinguish; be characteristic of; be a distinctive trait or mark of

charge  

n. accusation, a claim of wrongdoing

chasm  

n. deep opening in the earth surface

chaste  

a. morally pure in thought or conduct; decent and modest

chauffeur  

n. a person employed to drive a private motor car or a hired car of executive or luxury class

cherished  

a. deeply loved or highly valued

chilling  

a. causing mild fear

chisel  

v. practice trickery or fraud; cheat

chore  

n. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee

chronological  

a. arranged in order of time of occurrence

circulate  

v. move around, as from person to person or place to place

circumference  

n. boundary line of a circle, figure, area, or object

cite  

v. quote; adduce as an instance

clasp  

n. fastening device; firm grip

classify  

v. declare unavailable, as for security reasons; arrange or order by classes or categories

clinical  

a. involving direct observation of a patient

clockwise  

ad. in the direction that the hands of a clock move

cluster  

n. group; bunch; group of the same or similar elements gathered or occurring closely

coarse  

a. rough; harsh; of low, common, or inferior quality

coax  

v. persuade or try to persuade by pleading or flattery

codefendant  

n. a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action

coed  

a. relating to an education system in which both men and women attend

coeducation  

n. system of education in which both men and women attend the same institution or classes

cognition  

n. the process of knowing

cognitive  

a. knowing or perceiving; part of mental functions that deals with logic

coherent  

a. adhesive; cohesive; sticking together ; logical; sound; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner

coil  

n. a series of connected spirals or concentric rings formed by gathering or winding; spiral pipe or series of spiral pipes

coincide  

v. occur at the same time as; correspond

collaboration  

n. act of working together; act of cooperating with an enemy, especially it occupying one's own country

collide  

v. bump; hit; conflict

collider  

n. accelerator in which two beams of particles are forced to collide head on

combustible  

a. capable of igniting and burning; easily aroused or excited

commemorate  

v. honor the memory of with a ceremony; serve as a memorial to

commend  

v. commit, entrust, or give in charge for care or preservation; recommend as worthy of confidence or regard

commodity  

n. goods; article of trade; advantage; benefit.

commonplace  

a. ordinary; having no remarkable features

commute  

v. obtain or bargain for exemption or substitution; travel regularly from a place of residence to another place

commuter  

n. someone who travels regularly from home in a suburb to work in a city

comparable  

a. similar or equivalent; being of equal regard; worthy to be ranked with

compatriot  

n. person from one's own country; colleague; somebody from one's own country; a fellow-countryman

compel  

v. force; coerce; necessitate or pressure by force

compensate  

v. serve as or provide a substitute or counterbalance

compete  

v. seek or strive for the same thing for which another is striving; contend in rivalry, as for a prize or in business

compete for  

v. seek or strive for the same thing as another; enter into competition or rivalry

competence  

n. quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually

compile  

v. put together or compose from materials gathered from several sources

complement  

v. complete; consummate; make perfect

compliance  

n. readiness to yield; happy friendly agreement

compose  

v. write; create; make or create by putting together parts or elements

composite  

a. made up of distinct parts or elements; compounded

compress  

v. close; squeeze or press together; contract

comprise  

v. include; consist of; be composed of

compulsory  

a. mandatory; obligatory; required by rule

compute  

v. reckon; make mathematical calculation

concerted  

a. planned or accomplished together; combined

concise  

a. brief and compact; expressing much in few words

concoct  

v. digest; convert into nourishment by the organs of nutrition.

concurrent  

a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same time

condemn  

v. express strong disapproval of; judge or declare to be unfit for use

condense  

v. change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops; compress or concentrate

condolence  

n. expression of sympathy with another in sorrow or grief.

confer  

v. bestow; present; have a conference in order to talk something over

confide  

v. disclose private matters in confidence; give as a responsibility or put into another's care

configuration  

n. arrangement of parts or elements; outline

confine  

v. restrict in movement; circumscribe

conform  

v. comply with; follow; fit; meet

congestion  

n. act of gathering or heaping together or forming a mass

congruent  

a. possessing congruity; suitable; agreeing; corresponding

conjure  

v. summon a devil or spirit by magical or supernatural power

conscience  

n. awareness of moral or ethical aspects to one's conduct, together with the urge to prefer right over wrong

conscientious  

a. diligent; responsible; reliable

conscious  

a. having an awareness of one's environment and one's own existence, sensations, and thoughts

consecutive  

a. following one after another without interruption; sequential

consensus  

n. opinion or position reached by a group as a whole; general agreement or concord

consequent  

a. resulting; following as a logical conclusion

conservation  

n. preservation or restoration from loss, damage, or neglect

conservatory  

n. greenhouse; school of music or dramatic art

conserve  

v. retain; protect from loss or harm; preserve; use carefully or sparingly, avoiding waste

consign  

v. give, transfer, or deliver in a formal manner, as if by signing over into the possession of another

consist  

v. be made up or composed; be comprised or contained in

consolidate  

v. make solid; unite or press together into a compact mass; harden or make dense and firm

conspicuous  

a. noticeable; prominent; easy to notice; obvious

constituent  

n. component or part; citizen, voter

constitute  

v. make up; form something

constrain  

v. restrain; keep within close bounds; confine

constrict  

v. restrict; shrink; make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing

construct  

v. form by assembling or combining parts; build; create

contaminate  

v. make impure or unclean by contact or mixture; pollute; defile

contemplate  

v. look at attentively and thoughtfully; observe deep in thought

contend  

v. strive in opposition or against difficulties; struggle; compete, as in a race

contention  

n. competing as for profit or prize

continuity  

n. property of a continuous and connected period of time

contradict  

v. confront; oppose

contradiction  

n. assertion of contrary; denial of the truth of a statement or assertion; opposition, whether by argument or conduct

contrive  

v. form by an exercise of ingenuity; devise; invent; design

convene  

v. cause to come together formally

converge  

v. approach; tend to meet; come together

converse  

v. chat; talk informally; engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts

conversely  

ad. in a converse manner; with change of order or relation; reciprocally.

cook  

v. develop, or take place; prepare food for eating by applying heat

correlate  

v. relate; associate; bring into a mutual relation

correspond  

v. be compatible, similar or consistent; exchange messages

correspondence  

n. similarity or analogy; communication by the exchange of letters

correspondent  

a. one who communicates information, especially, by letter or telegram to newspaper or periodical

corresponding  

a. accompanying

corrode  

v. destroy metal or alloy gradually, especially by chemical action; be eaten or worn away

cortical  

a. pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain

cosmopolitan  

a. sophisticated; of worldwide scope

cosy  

n. padded or knitted covering placed especially over a teapot to keep the tea hot; cozy

counterbalance  

v. act as force or influence that balances, checks or limits an opposite one

counterpart  

n. duplicate copy; analogue; one that closely resembles another

couplet  

n. two similar things; a pair; in poetry, a pair of lines with rhyming end words