IELTS Vocabulary

Nostalgic – feeling or inspiring nostalgia

Sentence – She has nostalgia for the past.

Wither – become dry and shrivelled.

Sentence – The flowers will wither if you don’t put them in water.

Rummage – search unsystematically and untidily

Sentence – Have a rummage around in the drawer and see if you can find a pen.

Swerve – an abrupt change of direction.

Sentence – I had to swerve to avoid a cat.

Manoeuvre – a movement or series of moves requiring skill and care.

Sentence – A rapid manoeuvre by the driver prevented an accident.

Scramble – a difficult or hurried clamber up or over something.

Sentence – The path now becomes more demanding, a steep scramble up loose rock.

Plummet – fall or drop straight down at high speed.

Sentence – An excellent rice harvest caused prices to plummet by 40 %.

Intrude – put oneself deliberately into a place or situation where one is unwelcome or uninvited.

Sentence – He had no wish to intrude on their privacy.

Smirk – a confident and often gloating smile

Sentence – The smirk on his face told her that he was being sneaky.

Aloof – not friendly, cool and distant.

Sentence – He often keeps aloof when we chat together.

Grin – smile broadly.

Sentence – He had this great big grin on his face.

Wander – walk or move in a leisurely

Sentence – They wandered down the street

Amble – walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace.

Sentence – Let’s go for an amble

Vivid – producing powerful feelings, clear images in the mind.

Sentence – The dream was very vivid .

Colossal – extremely large or great.

Sentence – There has been a colossal waste of public money.

Honeyed – containing or coated with honey.

Sentence – I could smell the honeyed ripeness of melons and peaches.

Silvery – shiny and grey-white.

Sentence – The carpet had a silvery sheen to it.

Provocative – causing anger or another strong reaction

Sentence – His behavior was called provocative

Hermetic – complete and airtight.

Sentence – A hermetic seal is used on this glass bottle.