This week on The Missing Workbook
1 new learner
12 reviews
Word
English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2, plus C2+ for rare words beyond the CEFR scale) — A1 is the friendliest place to start — and browse its words grouped by topic: travel, food, the body, emotions, and more. Each word shows its meaning, example sentences, and US/UK pronunciation.
Choose your level
View all levelsC2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.
380 words
pilaster
C2
/pɪˈlæstɚ/
a shallow rectangular column projecting from a wall, usually with a base and capital and often serving a decorative architectural role
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
antinomy
C2
/ænˈtɪn.ə.mi/
a contradiction between two principles or conclusions that each appear reasonable or justified
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
chiffonier
C2
/ˌʃɪfəˈnɪr/
a tall, narrow chest of drawers or cabinet, sometimes fitted with a mirror
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
votary
C2
/ˈvoʊtəri/
a devoted follower, supporter, or practitioner of a cause, leader, or pursuit
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
betony
C2
/ˈbɛtəni/
a perennial herb, especially Stachys officinalis, with spikes of purple flowers and a history of medicinal use
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
raillery
C2
/ˈreɪlɚi/
formal: good-humored teasing, banter, or lightly mocking talk
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
venery
C2
/ˈvɛnəri/
the pursuit of sexual pleasure
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
fritillary
C2
/ˈfrɪtəlɛri/
any of several orange, brown, or tawny butterflies, especially nymphalids with dark markings and often silvery spots beneath the wings
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
hydrographer
C2
/haɪˈdrɑːɡrəfər/
a specialist who surveys, measures, and charts oceans, rivers, coasts, and other bodies of water, especially for navigation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
baldric
C2
/ˈbɔldɹɪk/
a broad, often ornamented belt worn diagonally from one shoulder to the opposite hip to support a sword, bugle, or other equipment
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
doggery
C2
/ˈdɔːɡəri/
historical US: a cheap, disreputable saloon or tavern
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
stiver
C2
/ˈstaɪvər/
a former Dutch coin worth one twentieth of a guilder
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
napery
C2
/ˈneɪpɚi/
household linen, especially tablecloths and napkins
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
commonweal
C2
/ˈkɑmənˌwil/
the welfare, prosperity, or good shared by all members of a community
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
gunmaker
C2
/ˈɡʌnˌmeɪkər/
One who manufactures guns.
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
pomander
C2
/ˈpoʊ.mæn.dɚ/
historical: a ball of aromatic substances carried for fragrance or as a supposed protection against infection
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
casuistry
C2
/ˈkæʒuːəstɹi/
case-based moral reasoning that applies general principles to particular practical dilemmas
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
clasp-knife
C2
/ˈklæspˌnaɪf/
dated: a pocketknife whose blade folds into the handle
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ergometer
C2
/ɝːˈɡɑː.mə.t̬ɚ/
an apparatus that measures the work or power produced by muscles during physical effort
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
kinematics
C2
/ˌkɪnəˈmætɪks/
the branch of mechanics concerned with motion without reference to force or mass
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
batrachian
C2
/bəˈtreɪkiən/
a frog, toad, or other amphibian, especially one formerly classified in the group Batrachia
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
intuitionist
C2
/ˌɪntuˈɪʃənɪst/
philosophy or ethics: an adherent of intuitionism, especially the view that some truths or moral principles are known directly rather than inferred
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
stannary
C2
/ˈstænəri/
historical, usually plural: one of the tin-mining districts of Cornwall and Devon, together with its mines, works, and special legal institutions
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
tercentenary
C2
/ˌtɝːsɛnˈtɛnəri/
the three-hundredth anniversary of an event, or a celebration of it
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
carboy
C2
/ˈkɑːr.bɔɪ/
a large rigid bottle, traditionally glass, used for storing or transporting liquids such as acids or fermenting drinks
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
correlator
C2
/ˈkɔr.əˌleɪ.tɚ/
something that correlates two sets of things; in logic, a relation that pairs terms in one field with terms in another
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
possibilist
C2
/ˈpɑː.sə.bəl.ɪst/
a socialist who favors immediately achievable reforms rather than an all-or-nothing commitment to revolution
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
exogamy
C2
/ɛkˈsɑːɡəmi/
marriage outside a defined kinship or social group, especially when required by custom or law
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
letterpress
C2
/ˈlɛtɚˌprɛs/
printing in which an inked raised surface is pressed directly onto paper
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
quietist
C2
/ˈkwaɪətɪst/
a follower of Quietism, a mystical tradition emphasizing passive contemplation and surrender of the will
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
stomacher
C2
/ˈstʌm.ə.kɚ/
historical: a stiff, often richly decorated triangular panel worn over the chest and stomach at the front of a woman's bodice
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
cockchafer
C2
/ˈkɑkˌtʃeɪfɚ/
a large European scarab beetle whose larvae and adults can damage crops and other vegetation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
mormal
C2
/ˈmɔːr.məl/
A bad sore; a gangrene or cancer
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
carousal
C2
/kəˈraʊzəl/
noisy, festive, and often drunken revelry, or an occasion marked by such revelry
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
pewee
C2
/ˈpiːwiː/
a small North American flycatcher of the genus Contopus, named for its call
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
cottar
C2
/ˈkɑːtər/
Scottish history: a peasant or farm laborer who occupied a cottage and sometimes a small plot, usually in return for labor services
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
canonry
C2
/ˈkænənri/
the office, benefice, or prebend held by a canon of a cathedral or collegiate church
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
harpooneer
C2
/ˌhɑːr.puːˈnɪr/
historical whaling: a specialist who throws or fires the harpoon, typically stationed in the bow of a whaleboat
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ephor
C2
/ˈɛf.ɚ/
one of five annually elected senior magistrates in ancient Sparta, empowered to supervise the kings and enforce civic law
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
veery
C2
/ˈvɪəɹi/
a tawny North American woodland thrush noted for its descending, flute-like song
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
annuitant
C2
the recipient of an annuity
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
inerrancy
C2
/ɪˈnɛɹənsi/
(Christianity) exemption from error
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
baluster
C2
/ˈbælɪstɚ/
a short upright post that supports the handrail of a staircase, balcony, or terrace
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ingathering
C2
/ˈɪnˌɡæðərɪŋ/
the gathering in of a harvest
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
spicery
C2
/ˈspaɪsəri/
spices considered collectively; archaic or literary
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
winterberry
C2
/ˈwɪntɚˌbɛri/
an eastern North American deciduous holly (Ilex verticillata) bearing persistent bright red berries
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
weatherboarding
C2
/ˈwɛðɚˌbɔrdɪŋ/
a building's outer covering of long, usually overlapping boards designed to shed rain
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
pyrometer
C2
/paɪˈrɑmətər/
a thermometer designed to measure high temperatures
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
latchstring
C2
/ˈlætʃˌstrɪŋ/
a string attached to a door latch and passed through a hole so the latch can be lifted from outside
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
seignior
C2
/ˈsiːn.jɚ/
historical: a feudal or manorial lord, especially in France or French colonial territories
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
alluvion
C2
/əˈluː.vi.ən/
clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited by flowing water; alluvium
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
sceneshifter
C2
/ˈsiːnˌʃɪf.tɚ/
a stagehand who moves or changes theatrical scenery during a performance
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
evokingly
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
glory in
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
side-step
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
bona fide
C2
/ˈboʊnə.faɪd/
genuine or authentic, rather than false or merely claimed
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
deviantly
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
bereftly
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
porten
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
dole out
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
ad lib
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
mull over
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
eke out
C2
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
eschatology
C2
/ˌɛskəˈtɑːlədʒi/
the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and humankind
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
platonist
C2
/ˈpleɪtənɪst/
a follower or adherent of Plato's philosophy, emphasizing ideal forms and abstract concepts
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
intercrossing
C2
The interbreeding of two strains that have a common ancestry
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
light-wave
C2
/ˈlaɪtˌweɪv/
a wave of electromagnetic radiation considered as light
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
light-ray
C2
/ˈlaɪtˌreɪ/
a line or narrow beam representing the path along which light travels
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
light-quantum
C2
/ˈlaɪtˌkwɑntəm/
a quantum of light; a photon
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
world-line
C2
/ˈwɜrldˌlaɪn/
the path of an object through spacetime
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
phenomenalist
C2
/fəˈnɑmənəlɪst/
a philosopher who treats physical objects as constructions from possible or actual experiences
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
systematist
C2
/ˈsɪstəmətɪst/
a biologist who studies systematics and classifies organisms by their relationships
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
atomist
C2
/ˈætəmɪst/
an adherent of atomism, especially the doctrine that matter or reality consists of indivisible elementary particles
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
mistle thrush
C2
/ˈmɪs.əl ˌθrʌʃ/
a large thrush (Turdus viscivorus) of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, with pale, boldly spotted underparts, noted for eating and vigorously defending berry-bearing trees, including mistletoe
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
citron green
C2
/ˈsɪt.rən ˌɡriːn/
a light greenish-yellow color with a muted or slightly gray cast
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
turquoise blue
C2
/ˈtɝː.kwɔɪz ˌbluː/
a light greenish-blue color that is somewhat paler and bluer than typical turquoise
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
chalice veil
C2
/ˈtʃæl.ɪs ˌveɪl/
a cloth used to cover a chalice and its associated vessels before or after their use in Christian liturgy, especially at Mass
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
cinnamon stone
C2
/ˈsɪn.ə.mən ˌstoʊn/
an orange to reddish-brown gemstone variety of grossular garnet, also called hessonite
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
willow wren
C2
/ˈwɪl.oʊ ˌrɛn/
a traditional British name for the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), also formerly applied to the closely related chiffchaff
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
crow quill
C2
/ˈkroʊ ˌkwɪl/
a quill from a crow's wing, especially one cut into a fine writing or drawing pen
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
merchant exporter
C2
/ˌmɝː.tʃənt ɪkˈspɔːr.t̬ɚ/
a trader or trading business that buys goods from producers and exports them, rather than manufacturing the goods itself
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
wax vesta
C2
/ˌwæks ˈvɛstə/
a historical friction match with a wax-coated fiber stem and an ignitable tip
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
harmonist
C2
/ˈhɑːrmənɪst/
a musician or composer skilled in creating, performing, or analyzing harmony
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
fallfish
C2
/ˈfɔːlˌfɪʃ/
a large silvery freshwater minnow (Semotilus corporalis) native to streams of northeastern North America
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
prenomen
C2
/ˌpriːˈnoʊmen/
a variant spelling of praenomen: the first or personal name in an ancient Roman name, preceding the nomen and cognomen
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
telegony
C2
/təˈlɛɡəni/
historical genetics: the discredited belief that a female's previous mate can influence offspring later conceived with another mate
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
headspring
C2
/ˈhɛdˌsprɪŋ/
a spring or source from which a stream begins; a fountainhead
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
bisulfate
C2
/baɪˈsʌl.feɪt/
the hydrogen sulfate ion, HSO4-, which is formed when sulfuric acid loses one proton
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
farmsteading
C2
/ˈfɑːrmˌstiː.dɪŋ/
chiefly British or Scottish: a farmstead, especially the farmhouse and its surrounding farm buildings considered as a group
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
shagreen
C2
/ʃʌˈɡriːn/
a tough leather with a granular surface, historically made from horsehide and now commonly from shark or ray skin
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
wine lees
C2
/ˈwaɪnˌliːz/
the sediment of yeast, grape matter, and other particles that settles after wine fermentation
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off
trompe-l’oeil
C2
/ˌtrɔːmp ˈlɔɪ/
an artistic technique that uses realistic detail to create the illusion that painted objects are three-dimensional
Meaning
Off
Sound
Off