Websites for learning English

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

http://www.eslpartyland.com/

http://www.englishpage.com/index.html

http://www.dailyesl.com/index.htm

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idioms_proverbs.html

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/

Word List 10

Group 1

Bellicose
war-like; aggressive

Consummate
complete; total; supremely good

Elusive
hard to pin down

Gregarious
extroverted; sociable; outgoing

Jaundiced
cynical; pessimistic

Nettle
annoy

Phenomenon
an event or happening (plural: phenomena)

Recuperate
get better after illness

Superlative
extremely good; the best

Whet
sharpen

Group 2

Belligerent
aggressive; ready to fight

Contemporary
living or happening at the same time


Emaciated
very thin; withered

Gritty
coarse; granular

Jaunt
short pleasure trip

Niggardly
miserly; stingy

Philanthropy
charity; love of mankind

Red tape
formalities; paperwork; official procedure

Surly
grumpy; rude

Whimsical
capricious; changeable

Group 3

Bemoan
complain about

Contrite
sorry

Emancipate
set free

Guffaw
sudden loud laughter

Jeopardize
put at risk; endanger

Nomadic
wandering from place to place

Philistine
uncultured person

Redolent
smelling of; giving off odors

Surreptitious
secret; sneaky; stealthy

Willful
stubborn

Group 4

Benevolent
kindly

Contrition
sorrow and repentance

Embezzle
defraud; steal

Guile
cunning; craftiness

Jingoistic
extremely patriotic; nationalistic

Nonchalance
an appearance of indifference; calm and composed

Phlegmatic
calm; imperturbable

Redress
put right something that was wrong

Surreptitiously
secretly; furtively; stealthily

Wily
cunning

Group 5

Benign
kindly; harmless

Contumacious
stubborn

Embroil
involve in hostility or argument

Guileless
frank; straightforward; honest

Jocular
in a joking manner

Nondescript
having no special features; dull and ordinary

Pillage
plunder

Redundant
unnecessary; superfluous

Susceptible
vulnerable

Wispy
flimsy; frail; delicate

Group 6

Benignity
compassion; gentleness; fondness

Contusion
a bruise

Emerge
come out; appear

Gullibility
unwariness; trustfulness; being easily fooled

Jollity
gaiety; happiness

Nonentity
a person of no importance; not famous

Pinnacle
topmost point

Referendum
public vote

Suspect
doubtful

Wistful
melancholy; pensive; expressing a longing for

Group 7

Bequeath
leave something in one's will to be given after one's death

Conundrum
a puzzle

Emulate
to imitate something admired

Gullible
easily fooled

Jubilant
ecstatic; delighted; rejoicing

Nostalgia
longing for the past

Pious
very religious

Refute
disprove

Sybarite
lover of luxury

Zany
crazy; wacky

Group 8

Berate
scold; criticize

Conventional
usual; customary; common

Endorse
give support or approval to

Gustatory
concerned with the sense of taste

Judicious
correct in judgment; wise

Notoriety
infamy; known for wrong doing

Pivotal
of central importance

Regale
entertain

Sycophant
bootlicker; flatterer

Zeal
enthusiasm

Group 9

Beret
type of cap

Corpulent
fat

Endurance
staying power; patience; stamina

Hackneyed
common and over-used

Jurisprudence
science or study of law

Novel
new; unusual

Placate
pacify; soothe; calm

Relegate
dismiss to a lower position

Taciturn
quiet; saying little

Zealot
fanatic

Group 10

Bestial
behaving like a beast; brutal

Corrugated
highly folded

Enduring
lasting

Hallowed
worshipped; consecrated

Juxtapose
place next to

Novice
a beginner; tyro

Placebo
harmless medicine with no effect; dummy medicine

Remorse
regret; sorrow; contrition

Tactile
concerned with the sense of touch

Zenith
summit

Word List 09

Group 1

Bane
troublesome influence

Condone
tacitly support; overlook

Eclectic
taking things from different sources

Genre
a category; type

Irascible
easily angered

Mundane
ordinary; worldly

Perpetuated
caused to continue

Rancor
resentment; animosity; bad feeling

Strut
swagger; show off

Voluble
talkative

Group 2

Bard
poet

Condoning
overlooking; disregarding; ignoring

Edifice
building; structure; construction

Germane
relevant

Ire
anger [irate (a) = very angry]

Munificent
generous; charitable

Perpetuity
eternity

Rant
use bombastic language

Stupefying
astonishing; shocking; stunning into silence

Voluminous
very large; spacious

Group 3

Bastion
fortress; stronghold

Conflagration
big fire

Efface
wipe out; remove all trace of

Germinal
just growing; not developed; immature

Irksome
annoying; infuriating

Mutinous
very rebellious

Personable
attractive

Ratify
approve; consent

Subpoena
summons to court

Voracious
ravenous

Group 4

Befuddle
confuse

Confound
confuse

Effigy
a model of a person

Gibbering
making meaningless noises

Ironic
satiric; unexpected

Myriad
in large numbers

Perspicacious
insightful; sharp; wise

Raucous
rough and unpleasant (of sounds)

Substantiate
give supporting evidence

Waive
surrender; give up

Group 5

Begrudge
resent

Congeal
to solidify

Effusive
gushing; demonstrative

Glacial
hostile; unfriendly; cold; icy

Irrational
unreasonable; absurd

Navigable
suitable for sailing

Perspicacity
insight

Raze
destroy; demolish; tear down

Subterfuge
a trick

Wane
grow less

Group 6

Beguile
mislead; lure

Congenital
present from birth

Egalitarianism
belief in equality

Goad
prod; urge

Irreproachable
cannot be criticized; perfect

Nebulous
vague

Pertinent
relevant

Rebuttal
denial

Subtle
not obvious

Wary
hesitant; cautious

Group 7

Belabor
explain in unnecessary detail

Connoisseur
person with refined taste and good judgment

Egregious
outstandingly, obviously bad

Grate (v)
1. to annoy; aggravate; vex; 2. shred

Irrevocable
cannot be cancelled; unchangeable

Nefarious
wicked; immoral; disreputable

Peruse
read carefully

Recant
disclaim; retract statement

Subversive
rebellious; revolutionary

Wax
to increase; to grow

Group 8

Beleaguer
besiege; attack

Consecrate
dedicate

Egress
exit

Gratis
free of charge; without payment

Itinerant
nomadic; wandering from place to place

Negate
cancel; deny

Pervasive
spreading everywhere

Recapitulate
summarize

Succinct
concise

Waylay
accost; stop; approach; hinder

Group 9

Belie
contradict

Consensus
general agreement

Eloquent
fluent and persuasive in speech

Gratuitous
unwarranted

Jaded
tired; bored; worn out

Negligence
carelessness

Petrify
1. terrify; 2. turn to stone

Receptacle
container; vessel; holder

Suffragist
someone who campaigns for voting rights

Weighty
serious

Group 10

Belittle
to demean

Conspicuous
easily seen; prominent

Elucidate
make clear

Gravity
seriousness

Jargon
specialized language used by experts

Neologism
newly coined word

Petulant
sulky; peevish

Recluse
someone who cuts himself off from life

Supercilious
proud and haughty

Whelp
young dog

Word List 08

Group 1

Atheist
person who does not believe in God

Colloquial
local and informal (used of language)

Dotard
foolish old man

Furrow
groove

Instigator
troublemaker; person who entices others to do something

Misnomer
wrong name

Percipient
perceptive; insightful

Quaff
drink down quickly

Staunch
loyal; faithful; dependable

Vilification
blackening someone's name

Group 2

Atrophy
waste away from lack of use

Collusion
plotting and planning

Drawl
speak slowly with words running together

Furtive
hidden and secret

Insurgent
a rebel

Misogynist
hater of women

Perdition
damnation

Quagmire
marsh; bog

Stereotype
fixed image

Vindicate
prove right; remove blame

Group 3

Attenuate
weaken

Commandeer
take possession of

Drivel
nonsense

Futile
useless; hopeless

Interminable
never-ending

Misrepresentation
deliberately deceiving

Peremptory
in a commanding manner

Quaint
picturesque

Stevedore
dockworker

Virtuoso
an accomplished musician

Group 4

Augment
increase; make bigger

Complacent
self-satisfied; smug

Droll
dryly amusing

Galleon
ancient type of sailing ship

Intermittent
sporadic; irregular

Mitigate
lessen; make less severe

Perfidy
treachery

Quandary
dilemma; puzzle

Stifle
suppress

Virulent
dangerous; harmful

Group 5

Auspicious
favorable; promising to turn out well

Compliant
easy to control; submissive

Drone
1. monotonous noise (n); 2. to speak with no emotion (v); 3.male bee

Gambol
frolic; leap; bound

Intransigence
stubbornness

Modicum
small amount

Perfunctory
superficial; cursory

Quarantine
isolation to prevent the spread of disease

Stoic
known for fortitude; indifferent to pleasure or pain

Vital
essential; alive; important

Group 6

Austere
severely plain

Concatenate
link together

Dubious
doubtful

Garble
distort; confuse; muddle

Intransigent
stubborn; unyielding

Momentous
very important

Peripatetic
nomadic; moving from place to place

Quarry
1. something that is hunted; 2. mine for stone

Stoke
add fuel to; strengthen

Vitriolic
corrosive; strongly attacking

Group 7

Aversion
a dislike of

Concatenation
linking into chains

Dupe
to fool someone

Garish
gaudy

Intrepid
brave

Monotonous
dull; unvarying

Peripheral
on the edge; not important

Querulous
always complaining

Stolid
impassive; dull; indifferent

Vivacity
liveliness; animation

Group 8

Balk
hinder and prevent; hesitate over

Conciliate
to bring together; end a dispute

Dynamic
lively; vibrant; energetic

Garner
gather; collect

Inveterate
habitual

Moratorium
temporary prohibition or halt to activity

Perjury
telling lies under oath

Quirk
oddity

Stratagem
plot; plan; trick

Vivify
enliven

Group 9

Banal
common; dull

Concise
stated in few words

Ebullient
very lively; cheerful; jovial; happy

Garrulous
talkative

Invidious
arousing envy

Moribund
on the point of death

Pernicious
destructive; harmful

Ramble
wander aimlessly

Strident
loud and harsh

Vociferous
noisy; loud in speech

Group 10

Banality
ordinariness; dullness

Condescend
talk down to

Eccentric
unusual; quirky; odd

Gaunt
emaciated; bony and angular

Inviolable
cannot be invaded

Morose
gloomy; bad tempered

Persnickety
fastidious; fussy

Ramifications
branches; subdivisions of a complex system; outcomes

Stringent
strict or severe

Volatile
dangerously unstable; evaporates easily

Word List 07

Group 1

Archetype
classic example of

Clemency
mercy

Disinterested
unbiased

Flout
defy; reject

Ingénue
naïve, unsophisticated person

Mendacious
given to lying

Paucity
shortage

Protean
changeable

Sophomoric
juvenile; immature

Venal
corrupt; can be bribed

Group 2

Archives
collections of old records; place of storage of old documents

Cliché
overused expression; something unoriginal

Disparage
criticize; belittle

Flustered
worked-up; not calm

Ingrate
ungrateful person

Mercenary
concerned only with money

Peccadillo
minor weakness; trivial offence

Protégé
person under protection of, or guided by another

Soporific
inducing sleep

Veneer
surface coating

Group 3

Articulate
clear; lucid; eloquent

Clientele
customers

Disparity
an inequality

Fly-by-night
unreliable; disreputable

Inimical
hostile

Mercurial
volatile; changeable

Pedant
person who insists on strict adherence to rules or narrow learning

Protocol
procedure; code of behavior

Sparse
spare; bare; meager

Venerate
revere; worship

Group 4

Artifice
deception; trickery

Coalesce
come together; merge

Dispassionate
neutral; objective

Forensic
concerned with argument or debate (esp. for legal evidence)

Innate
inherited; inborn

Merge
come together

Pedestrian
common; mundane; banal

Provincial
unsophisticated; narrow-minded

Specious
false

Venial
minor; unimportant

Group 5

Artisan
craftsman

Coddle
pamper; fuss over; indulge

Disseminating
circulating; broadcasting; spreading (information)

Fortitude
bravery

Innocuous
harmless; inoffensive

Metaphorically
symbolically; figuratively

Peerless
without equal

Prudent
cautious; wise

Speckled
spotted; freckled; dotted

Veracity
truthfulness

Group 6

Ascetic
without luxuries; severely simple

Coercion
force

Diurnal
active in daytime

Fortuitous
happening by chance

Innovate
create; introduce something new

Meticulous
very careful; painstaking

Pejorative
derogatory

Puerile
childish

Sporadic
not continuous; intermittent

Verbose
talkative; long-winded; rambling

Group 7

Assiduous
thorough; diligent

Cogent
lucid; well argued

Divert
1. entertain; 2. distract; 3. cause a detour

Fractious
irritable; difficult to control

Inscrutable
mysterious; impenetrable

Mettle
courage; bravery; valor

Pellucid
transparently clear

Punctilious
paying attention to small details

Spurious
false

Verbosity
using too many words

Group 8

Assuage
to calm

Cogitate
think over something; ponder

Docile
gentle and easily lead

Fraudulent
fake; false

Insentient
unfeeling

Milieu
environment

Pensive
in a thoughtful mood; thinking deeply

Purloin
steal

Stagnant
still; not moving

Vertigo
dizziness

Group 9

Astute
perceptive; sharp-witted

Collage
picture made from fragments of other pictures

Dogmatic
having stubbornly held opinions

Frivolous
not serious

Insipid
dull; bland; boring

Mire
swamp; muddy ground

Penury
poverty

Pusillanimous
cowardly

Staid
dull; sober; serious

Vestigial
not developed

Group 10

Asylum
place of refuge or safety

Collate
arrange in order

Dolt
stupid person

Frugal
economical; not wasting anything

Instigate
to start; provoke

Misanthrope
hater of the rest of mankind

Perceptive
observant

Pyromania
compulsion to start fires

Stanza
section of a poem

Vignette
small sketch

Word List 06

Group 1

Antiquated
outdated; old fashioned

Choleric
easily angered

Diorama
model of a scene

Fecund
fertile

Inebriation
drunkenness; intoxication

Marshal
to gather together

Parity
equality

Profound
having deep meaning

Servile
overly submissive; groveling

Usurp
take someone's position (usually by force)

Group 2

Apathetic
indifferent; uninterested; lethargic

Chronicler
person who records historical information

Dirge
mournful song

Felicitous
apt

Ineffable
cannot be expressed in words

Marsupial
pouched mammal (like a kangaroo)

Parochial
narrow-minded; concerned only with local matters

Profundity
depth

Skeptical
doubting; not gullible

Utilitarian
useful

Group 3

Apathy
lack of interest or emotion

Circuitous
indirect

Disapprobation
disapproval

Fervor
passion; enthusiasm

Inept
incompetent; unskilled; useless

Martinet
person who believes in strict discipline

Parody
a mockery; imitation for ridicule; spoof

Proletarian
member of the working class

Skirmish
minor battle

Utopian
a believer in an ideal world

Group 4

Apocryphal
of doubtful origin

Circumlocution
using too many words; long-windedness

Discern
to distinguish one thing from another

Fickle
unpredictable; whimsical; easily swayed

Inertia
inactivity; lethargy

Masochist
person who intentionally inflicts pain on himself

Parry
ward off; avoid

Prolific
producing a lot

Sluggard
slow-moving; lethargic person

Vacillate
waver; hesitate

Group 5

Appease
pacify; soothe; calm down; make peace with

Circumscribe
limit

Discord
disagreement

Finesse
skill

Inevitable
cannot be avoided

Matriarchy
society governed by women

Parsimonious
economical; frugal; thrifty

Proponents
promoters; supporters

Smelt
refine an ore

Vacuous
empty; silly; meaningless

Group 6

Apprehensive
worried; fearful

Circumspect
cautious; considering all sides

Discordancy
cacophony; harshness; jarring

Fitful
not continuous; stopping and starting

Inexorable
relentless

Maverick
a loner

Parsimony
stinginess; frugality; cost-cutting

Prosaic
dull; boring; ordinary

Smorgasbord
a Swedish buffet of cold dishes

Vagrant
person wandering without a home

Group 7
Arable

can be cultivated
Circumvent

avoid
Discrepancy

something which does not match up; inconsistency
Flagrant

clearly wrong
Inexpedient

not advisable
Meager

in short supply
Partisan

biased; one-sided; committed to one group
Proscribe

forbid
Solace

comfort for grief
Vapid

dull; uninspiring

Group 8

Arbitrary
random; for no definite reason

Clairvoyant
psychic; mystic

Discriminate
to make a clear distinction; see the difference

Flamboyant
showy; ornate

Infallible
perfect; flawless; cannot make mistakes

Meander
wander from side to side

Pathos
evoking sadness or pity

Prosody
study of versification

Solicit
to ask for; seek

Variegated
multicolored; speckled

Group 9

Arcane
obscure; known only to a few people

Clamor
shout; scream

Discursiveness
long windedness; indirectness

Flaunt
show off; display in a showy manner

Infamous
famous for something bad

Mellow
soft; melodious; ripe

Patron
one who give support (usually financial)

Prostration
1. lying face down; 2. be overcome with extreme weakness

Somnambulist
sleepwalker

Vehemence
violence; fervor; forcefulness

Group 10

Archaic
ancient; outdated; old fashioned

Clandestine
secret; covert; stealthy

Disdain
contempt; strong dislike

Flippant
making jokes about serious matters

Infer
deduce; conclude

Menagerie
collection of animals

Patronize
condescend to; behave in an arrogant manner towards

Protagonist
main character in film, book, play etc.

Soothsayer
fortuneteller

Vehement
forceful

Word List 05

Group 1

Anecdote
a brief amusing story

Celerity
speed

Dexterous
skilful with hands

Extraneous
irrelevant

Incoherent
not clear

Maladroit
clumsy; unskillful

Pallid
pale

Presumptuous
assuming too much; arrogant

Scrupulous
careful; diligent; painstaking

Unequivocal
clear; obvious

Group 2

Animosity
hatred; antagonism

Censorious
disapproving; critical

Dichotomy
a division into two parts

Extrapolate
extend; predict on the basis of known data

Incongruous
not fitting in; out of place

Malady
illness

Palpable
easily felt; easily perceived

Pretentious
pompous; self-important

Scrutinize
examine carefully

Unfetter
set free

Group 3

Annex (n)
a building which is an addition to an existing building

Censure
blame

Didactic
intended to teach; instructive

Extrinsic
irrelevant; on the outside

Inconsequential
unimportant; insignificant; negligible

Malediction
a curse

Panacea
remedy for all ills

Prevaricate
speak misleadingly and evasively

Scuttle
sink

Unfrock
to remove a priest from his position

Group 4

Annex (v)
take possession of; seize; capture

Cerebral
intellectual

Diffident
lacking confidence

Fallacious
false

Inconspicuous
not easily seen; subtle; not noticeable

Malefactor
a wrong-doer

Paradigm
1. example; 2. model; 3. way of looking at things

Pristine
unspoiled

Seminary
an institution in which priests are trained

Unprecedented
never having happened before

Group 5

Anomaly
something which does not fit in a pattern; irregularity

Certitude
certainty

Digress
wander off the subject

Falter
hesitate; waver

Indelible
cannot be wiped out

Malinger
deliberately avoid work; shirk

Paradox
apparently contradictory statement

Proclivity
tendency towards

Sensuous
appealing to the senses

Unscathed
unharmed; intact; without a scratch

Group 6

Antagonism
hostility; strong opposition

Charlatan
trickster who claims knowledge he doesn't have

Dike
dam; embankment

Fanatical
obsessive; fixated

Indifferent
1. neutral; 2. not outstanding

Malingerer
person who deliberately tries to avoid work

Paragon
a perfect example

Procrastinate
delay; put off

Sentinel
guard; sentry

Unwitting
not deliberate; unconscious

Group 7

Antagonistic
opposed; hostile; aggressive

Chary
wary of; cautious about; reluctant to give

Dilatory
slow; falling behind with one's work

Fanaticism
passion; excessive devotion

Indigenous
native to a particular area

Malleable
flexible; can be shaped

Paramount
of supreme importance

Prodigal
wasteful; extravagant

Sequester
isolate

Upbraid
scold; tell off; reprimand

Group 8

Antediluvian
outdated; prehistoric; very old-fashioned

Chastises
punishes

Dilemma
puzzling situation

Fastidious
overly particular; finicky

Indolence
laziness

Mallet
1. wooden hammer; 2. stick used for polo

Parasite
1. scrounger; 2. animal which takes digested food from another

Prodigious
very large

Serendipity
fortunate coincidence; unsought discovery

Uproarious
hilarious; hysterical; very funny

Group 9

Anthology
a book which is a collection of poems or stories

Chicanery
trickery

Dilettante
person who dabbles in a subject without serious study

Fatuous
silly; foolish

Inductee
novice; beginner

Manipulatable
influencable; controllable

Parched
dried up

Profane
unholy

Serene
calm; peaceful

Upshot
outcome

Group 10

Anthropocentrism
putting man at the center of one's philosophy

Chimerical
changeable; unstable

Diligent
hard-working

Feasible
possible and practicable

Indulgent
pampering; satisfying desires

Marred
damaged; spoiled

Pariah
an outcast from society

Profanity
swearing; cursing

Serrated
jagged; saw-like

Urbane
sophisticated; suave