IELTS VOCABULARY

sabre a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge
rattling making a series of short, sharp knocking sounds
deterrence the action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear
of the consequences
lurking be present in a latent or barely discernible state
contraption A machine or device that appears strange or unnecessarily complicated, and
often badly made or unsafe.
horrendous Extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible.
retaliation The action of returning a military attack; counterattack.
imperialism A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or
military force.
colonialism The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another
country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
frantically In a distraught way owing to fear, anxiety, or other emotion.
prejudice prejudgment
consonant A basic speech sound in which the breath is at least partly obstructed and
which can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable.
Exodus A mass departure of people, especially emigrants.
underpin Support, justify, or form the basis for.
preamble a preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction
perk Become more cheerful, lively, or interesting.
steward organizer
sommelier A wine steward.
decanting gradually pour
Shiraz/ Syrah A variety of black wine grape.
tedious Too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous.
atomise Convert (a substance) into very fine particles or droplets.
upended set or turn (something) on its end or upside down
carafe An open-topped glass flask typically used for serving wine or water.
chianti A dry red wine, originally produced in Tuscany, Italy.
trifles A thing of little value or importance.
Blumenthal flower valley
tampered Interfere with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorized
alterations.
sift put (a fine, loose, or powdery substance) through a sieve so as to remove
lumps or large particles
favela A Brazilian shack or shanty town (hut); a slum.
erroneous Wrong; incorrect.
discern perceive or recognize (something)
intriguing arousing one's curiosity or interest; fascinating
foible Weakness/ flaw
uncanny Strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.
bot The larva of the botfly, which is an internal parasite of animals. It lives
typically in the stomach, finally passing through the host's dung and pupating
on the ground.
overseer A person who supervises others, especially workers.
deliberately Consciously and intentionally; on purpose.
cockpit a place where a battle or other conflict takes place / a compartment for the
pilot and sometimes also the crew in an aircraft or spacecraft
Typhoon A tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
twiddle Curly
hovering Hang / remain in one place in the air
visor a stiff brim at the front of a cap
disconcerting alarming
plough Turn up the earth of (an area of land) with a plow, especially before sowing.
Exotic Foreign
perpetually in a way that never ends or changes; constantly
brink An extreme edge of land before a steep or vertical slope.
imperceptible Impossible to perceive.
swarm A large or dense group of insects, especially flying ones.
puritanism the beliefs or principles of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and
17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church under Elizabeth I
as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship
siege Blockade
clerics 1. A priest or religious leader, especially a Christian or Muslim one.
Origin
yearn 2. Desire
deter 3. Discourage
hashtags 4. (On social media sites such as Twitter) a word or phrase preceded by a hash
or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic.
patriarch 5. the male head of a family or tribe
inveigh 6. speak or write about (something) with great hostility
ludicrous 7. so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing; ridiculous/ absurd
decree 8. An official order issued by a legal authority.
arch-conservative 9. Extremely averse to change and strongly adhering to traditional values.
coup Sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.
contention Heated disagreement.
semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-Semitism or anti-semitism) is hostility to,
prejudice, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions
is called an antisemite.
fallow uncultivated
harrow Distress/ torment
communal Shared by all members of a community; for common use.
downward spiral A series of thoughts or actions which feeds back into itself, causing a
situation to become progressively worse. It is worse than a vicious circle,
which is self-sustaining in its current state.
imbecile stupid; idiotic
dynamism the quality of being characterized by vigorous activity and progress
Rig assemble
blueprint Design, draft, sketch
penalty Lose, damage, forfeit, amercement
itemize List of items/ catalog, inventory
affluent Wealthy, money, rich, prosperous
levy Impose, charge
boon A favor or request.
write off Cancel, cross out, cut off, downgrade
reap Recover, gain
Be better off In a better position, happier, fortune
infidelity the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner
tribulation A cause of great trouble or suffering.
Rifts
A crack, split, or break in something.
capsizes Overturn in water (boat)
amid surrounded by
atrocity Crudity, outrage, horror
militant Aggressive, hostile
circumscribe Restrict within limits
lexical Relating to the words or vocabulary of a language.
heyday Climax, height, peak, zenith, crown
garret Top floor or attic room
mansard Roof that has four sloping sides, each of which becomes steeper halfway
down.
rival Competitor, challenger, contender, opponent
perpetual Never ending or changing, everlasting, eternal, timeless, enduring
patronage Support, assistance, funding, sponsorship
obscurity Unimportance, insignificance
bower a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants in a garden or wood.a
analogy a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or
clarification.
confer Bestow, grant,
prevail Conquer, overcome
folklore the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through
the generations by word of mouth / tradition, oral history
infuriating making one extremely angry and impatient; very annoying
unfathomable incapable of being fully explored or understood.
massacre an indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people.
plead make an emotional appeal.
legislative having the power to make laws.
riot a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd/ commotion, rumpus, uproar
provocation action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially
deliberately.
peninsular denoting or relating to an area of land almost surrounded by water or
projecting out into a body of water.
debut a person's first appearance or performance in a particular capacity or role.
diatribe a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.
vexation the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried
Broiling/ scorching Very hot
frayed (of a fabric, rope, or cord) unraveled or worn at the edge.
Ravel Confused, complicated, tangled
fallible capable of making mistakes or being erroneous./ incorrect
namesake a person or thing that has the same name as another
contemplate View, regard, inspect, observe, examine
formidable Forbidding, daunting (seeming difficult to deal with in anticipation;
intimidating), alarming, frightening, brooding, ominous (giving the
impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening;
inauspicious)
dissuade persuade (someone) not to take a particular course of action
persuade Cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument.
doomed Unfortunate, ill-fated
perverse Unreasonable, uncooperative, unhelpful, obstinate (stubbornly refusing to
change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade
one to do so.)
woes Great sorrow, distress, despair, despondency (hopelessness)
revolt Rise a rebellion, mutiny, riot, commotion
Derision Insulting, contemptuous, mocking
defiant Resistant, uncooperative, obstinate, stubborn, recalcitrant
prototype a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from
which other forms are developed or copied.
embroil Involve (someone) deeply in an argument, conflict, or difficult situation.
depose remove from office suddenly and forcefully, overthrow, topple
autocrat a ruler who has absolute power, tyrant, despot, dictator
abash Ashamed, embarrassed, sheepish, hangdog
bartender a person who mixes and serves drinks at a bar.
wander walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way
demur raise doubts or objections or show reluctance, dispute, protest, cavil
earnest Serious, grave, staid, solemn
disguise give (someone or oneself) a different appearance in order to conceal one's
identity.
grievance Injustice, wrong, unfair, injury, ill
divisive tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people
witch hunt a campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or
unpopular views
wired making use of computers to transfer or receive information, especially by
means of the Internet.
strew scatter or spread (things) untidily over a surface or area.
pummel Strike repeatedly
stride March, pace, step, walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction
perpetuate make (something, typically an undesirable situation or an unfounded belief)
continue indefinitely, preserve, conserve, sustain, maintain
astounding surprisingly impressive or notable, amazing, astonishing, extraordinary,
remarkable
silt Fine sand, clay, sediment, mud
Lagoon a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef,
bay, inland sea, pool, bight
poise Grace, elegant, balance
disparate Different, dissimilar, unalike
retrenchment the reduction of costs or spending in response to economic difficulty/ the
action of dismissing an employee from a job
mundane lacking interest or excitement; dull
erratic Changeable, unpredictable,
rival opponent
plummet Fall or drop steadily at high speed/ plunge, dive
burglary Housebreaking, breaking and theft
arrears Money that is owed and should have been paid earlier.