English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2) — 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.
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All 27,237 words
187 words
snuffbox
C2
/ˈsnʌfˌbɑːks/
a small, often ornamental box used for carrying powdered tobacco taken through the nose
Hottentot
C2
/ˈhɑːtənˌtɑːt/
a dated and derogatory colonial name for a Khoikhoi or Khoekhoe person of southern Africa
fijian
C2
/fiˈdʒiːən/
a person from Fiji or of Fijian descent
heraldry
C2
/ˈher.əl.dri/
the system, art, and study of coats of arms, including their design, description, inheritance, and regulation
cupbearer
C2
/ˈkʌpˌberər/
historical: a trusted court official who poured and served wine or another drink to a ruler
charnel
C2
/ˈtʃɑɹnəl/
a place or repository where dead bodies or human bones are kept; a charnel house
Jacobin
C2
/ˈdʒækəbɪn/
a member or supporter of the radical Jacobin Club during the French Revolution, or by extension a radical political reformer
mummify
C1
/ˈmʌm.ɪ.faɪ/
to preserve a dead body by drying, embalming, and wrapping it as a mummy
cenotaph
C2
/ˈsɛnəˌtæf/
a monument honoring a dead person or group whose remains are buried elsewhere or cannot be recovered
stripling
C2
/ˈstrɪplɪŋ/
a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity
heraldic
C2
/hɛˈrældɪk/
relating to heraldry, heralds, coats of arms, or their symbols and rules
escutcheon
C2
/ɪˈskʌtʃən/
a shield-shaped surface on which a coat of arms is displayed, or the arms themselves
Guarani
C2
/ˌɡwɑːrəˈniː/
a member of any of several Indigenous Guarani peoples of South America
cestus
C2
/ˈsɛstəs/
an ancient Greek or Roman fighting glove made of leather strips and sometimes weighted with metal
beefeater
C1
/ˈbiːfˌiː.tɚ/
a person who eats beef, especially one characterized as eating a great deal of it
anglophile
C2
/ˈæŋɡləˌfaɪl/
a person who strongly admires England or British culture and customs
blazon
C2
/ˈbleɪzən/
to display, describe, or proclaim something conspicuously or publicly
suttee
C2
/sʌˈtiː/
the historical practice among some Hindu communities in South Asia in which a widow died, or was killed, on her husband's funeral pyre, sometimes under coercion
seraglio
C2
/səˈɹæljoʊ/
the secluded living quarters reserved for wives and concubines in a Muslim household; a harem
catafalque
C2
/ˈkæt.ə.fɑːlk/
a raised, often decorated platform or framework on which a coffin rests during a funeral or lying in state
sixpenny
C2
/ˈsɪks.pə.ni/
historical British: costing or worth sixpence; by extension, cheap or slight
mummery
C2
/ˈmʌməɹi/
a ridiculous, showy, or insincere ceremony or performance
doyen
C2
/ˈdɔɪ.ən/
a man who is the senior member of a group
citizeness
C2
/ˈsɪtəzənəs/
a woman who is a citizen; now rare except in historical contexts
nabob
C2
/ˈneɪbɑːb/
dated, often disparaging: a very wealthy, powerful, or self-important person
saltire
C2
/ˈsælˌtaɪr/
heraldry: an X-shaped charge formed by a diagonal cross extending across a shield or flag
tumulus
C2
/ˈtuːmjələs/
a mound of earth or stones raised over a grave, especially a prehistoric burial mound
dayak
C2
/ˈdaɪæk/
a member of any of numerous Indigenous peoples of Borneo collectively known as the Dayak
handsel
C2
/ˈhænsəl/
a gift or token given at the beginning of a new year, enterprise, or situation as a sign of good luck
festal
C2
/ˈfɛs.təl/
relating to a feast or festival, or having a joyful ceremonial character
orientalist
C2
/ˌɔːriˈentəlɪst/
historical or academic: a scholar of languages, literatures, histories, or cultures once grouped in Western scholarship as the Orient
dolmen
C2
/ˈdoʊlmən/
a prehistoric megalithic tomb formed from a large horizontal capstone supported by two or more upright stones, often originally covered by a mound
annal
C2
/ˈænəl/
a record of an event or of the events of one year in a historical chronicle, now most often used in the plural annals
gules
C2
/ˈɡjuːlz/
heraldry: the color red, conventionally shown by vertical hatching in monochrome engraving
charnel house
C2
/ˈtʃɑːr.nəl ˌhaʊs/
historical: a building, chamber, or vault in which human bodies or bones are deposited
couchant
C2
/ˈkaʊtʃənt/
heraldry: lying down with the body resting on the legs and the head raised
Seicento
C2
/seɪˈtʃɛn.toʊ/
the seventeenth century in Italian history and culture, especially in art, music, and literature
Guanche
C2
/ˈɡwɑːntʃeɪ/
a member of the Indigenous people who inhabited Tenerife before the Castilian conquest, or, in broader historical use, a pre-Hispanic inhabitant of the Canary Islands
Guana
C2
/ɡwɑːˈnɑː/
a member of the Guana or Guana-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Gran Chaco and neighboring parts of South America
sepulture
C2
/ˈsɛpəlˌtʃɚ/
the act or ceremony of burying a dead person
armorial
C2
/ɑrˈmɔriəl/
relating to, bearing, or displaying heraldic arms
vassalage
C2
/ˈvæsəlɪdʒ/
historical: the condition, obligations, or tenure of a vassal under a feudal lord
souteneur
C2+
/ˌsuː.təˈnɝː/
A man who protects, and commonly compels, a prostitute of any gender and lives off the earnings; a pimp. Originally a Parisian term, but since adopted into other languages such as English
historicity
C2
/ˌhɪstəˈrɪsəti/
the quality of being historically real or authentic rather than legendary or invented
fardel
C2
/ˈfɑɹdəl/
archaic or literary: a bundle carried as a load; figuratively, a burden
tumbril
C2
/ˈtʌmbɹɪl/
historical: a cart used to carry condemned prisoners to execution, especially to the guillotine during the French Revolution
charivari
C2
/ʃɑːɹɪˈvɑːɹi/
historical: a noisy mock serenade made with pots, pans, and other instruments, traditionally directed at newlyweds or a disapproved couple
medievalism
C2
/ˌmiː.diˈiː.vəˌlɪ.zəm/
admiration for, imitation of, or devotion to the ideas, institutions, art, or social forms of the Middle Ages
corroboree
C2
/kəˈrɑːbəri/
an Aboriginal Australian ceremonial gathering that may include dance, song, music, storytelling, or ritual, with its precise form varying among communities
nombril
C2+
/ˈnɑːmbrəl/
heraldry: the point midway between the center and the bottom of an escutcheon
lapidation
C2+
/ˌlæpɪˈdeɪʃən/
the act of pelting with stones
unhistorical
C2
/ˌʌnhɪˈstɔrɪkəl/
not based on, supported by, or consistent with historical evidence or fact
fuegian
C2
/fjuˈiːdʒiən/
relating to Tierra del Fuego, the archipelago at the southern end of South America
seignior
C2
/ˈsiːn.jɚ/
historical: a feudal or manorial lord, especially in France or French colonial territories
thaumaturge
C2
/ˈθɔːməˌtɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒ/
one who practices magic or sorcery
acculturation
C2+
/əˌkʌltʃəˈreɪʃən/
adoption of the cultural traits of another group
patronage
C2+
/ˈpeɪtrənɪdʒ/
support or custom given by a patron, or the power to grant appointments
pogrom
C2+
/ˈpoʊɡrəm/
an organized massacre, especially of an ethnic group
babylonian
C2+
/ˌbæbəˈloʊniən/
of ancient Babylon or its people, language, or culture
classicism
C2+
/ˈklæsəˌsɪzəm/
adherence to the principles of ancient Greek and Roman art and culture
conventionalism
C2+
/kənˈvɛnʃənəˌlɪzəm/
adherence to convention or established custom
decadence
C2+
/ˈdɛkədəns/
moral or cultural decline marked by self-indulgence
donjon
C2+
/ˈdɑndʒən/
the great central tower or keep of a medieval castle
ethnical
C2+
/ˈɛθnɪkəl/
of or relating to ethnic groups or races; ethnic
habitually
C2+
/həˈbɪtʃuəli/
as a regular practice or custom
hellenic
C2+
/hɛˈlɛnɪk/
relating to ancient or modern Greece, its people, or culture
imperially
C2+
/ɪmˈpɪriəli/
in a manner befitting an emperor or empire; majestically
nontraditional
C2+
/ˌnɑntrəˈdɪʃənəl/
not following tradition or convention
tithing
C2+
/ˈtaɪðɪŋ/
the practice of paying a tithe; a historical group of ten households
traditionalism
C2+
/trəˈdɪʃənəˌlɪzəm/
adherence to tradition, especially in opposition to change
unconventionally
C2+
/ˌʌnkənˈvɛnʃənəli/
in a way that departs from accepted custom or practice
villanage
C2
Alternative form of villeinage.
through-stone
C2+
/ˈθruːˌstoʊn/
a flat horizontal tombstone or grave slab, especially in Scottish and northern English usage
death-sark
C2+
/ˈdɛθˌsɑːrk/
a shirt or garment put on a dead body for burial; a shroud
syssitia
C2+
/sɪˈsɪt.i.ə/
historical communal meals or dining groups for male citizens and youths in ancient Greece, especially in Sparta and Crete
sanjak
C2
/ˌsɑːnˈdʒæk/
historical: an administrative district of the Ottoman Empire, usually a subdivision of an eyalet or vilayet
totem pole
C1
/ˈtoʊ.t̬əm ˌpoʊl/
a tall carved and often painted wooden pole made by Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of North America to represent family lineage, crests, histories, or important events
heptarchy
C2
/ˈhɛpˌtɑrki/
historical: the traditional collective name for the seven principal Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of early medieval England
stadtholdership
C2
/ˈstætˌhoʊldərˌʃɪp/
historical: the office, rank, or period in office of a stadtholder in the Netherlands
logographer
C2+
/loʊˈɡɑɡrəfɚ/
an early ancient Greek prose writer who recorded genealogies, legends, local histories, or accounts of peoples and places
philhellenic
C2
/ˌfɪlhəˈlɛnɪk/
admiring or supporting Greece, the Greeks, or Greek culture
roturier
C2
/roʊˈtʊriˌeɪ/
historical: a commoner, especially a person who belonged to neither the nobility nor the clergy in pre-Revolutionary France
engrailed
C2
/ɪnˈɡreɪld/
heraldry: edged with a series of small inward-curving semicircles whose points face outward
wassailer
C2+
/ˈwɑsələr/
a person who carouses or drinks and celebrates noisily
invected
C2+
/ɪnˈvɛktɪd/
heraldry: edged with a series of convex semicircles or arcs whose points face inward
velarium
C2+
/vɪˈlɛəɹ.i.əm/
historical: a large retractable fabric awning spread over a Roman amphitheatre or theatre to shade spectators
emancipist
C2+
/ɪˈmænsəpɪst/
historical Australian English: a transported convict who had completed the sentence or received a pardon
polygenist
C2+
/pəˈlɪdʒənɪst/
historical: an advocate of polygenism, the now-discredited doctrine that human populations or supposed races had separate origins and could constitute different species
monogenist
C2+
/məˈnɑːdʒənɪst/
historical: an advocate of monogenism, the view that all human populations share a single origin and belong to one species
necropole
C2+
/ˈnɛkrəˌpoʊl/
a cemetery, especially a large or ancient burial ground; a rare form of ‘necropolis’
ephebus
C2+
/ɪˈfiː.bəs/
a young man of ancient Greece, especially one undergoing civic or military training