Sophisticated English Words

3/27/2019 Useful Sophisticated English Words & Phrases
English Harmony
Useful Sophisticated English Words &

Phrases
By Robby
If you are new here please read this rst.
When I arrived in Ireland 15 years ago, I went onto a mission of

learning English vocabulary because I thought it was going to help me
overcome my uency issues.
As a result, I acquired hundreds upon hundreds long English

vocabulary lists also containing plenty of words that even native
https://englishharmony.com/sophisticated-vocabulary/ 1/17
English speakers don’t use and they simply didn’t have a clue what
they meant when I tried using them in real life!
I like to call such English vocabulary “sophisticated”, and I’ve also

written extensively on this topic on my blog, here’s a couple of articles:
Don’t Learn Some Obscure English Words that Even Native

Speakers DON’T KNOW!
Simple vs Sophisticated Vocabulary? It’s All Just Semantics
(Interpretation)!
Now I know better than to learn English words that nobody uses in
day-to-day communication; I’d rather use to learn the vocabulary I
already know in DIFFERENT WAYS thus enabling me to speak about
virtually any topic.
Sometimes, however, knowing how to use certain sophisticated

English words comes in handy and as it was pointed out by one of
my YouTube commentators, some English tests and exams may
include such vocabulary.
So, without further ado, let’s learn some useful English expressions
containing words that you may not have heard before – or maybe
you’ve heard them a few times and wondered what they actually
mean.
Needless to say, it’s strongly advised you acquire this sophisticated

vocabulary by learning the entire word combination thus ensuring
you’ll be able to USE the word in question! (Read this article to
understand what exactly I’m talking about here)
NEW! Clairvoyant – you know the way sometimes people would

assume that you know something while in reality you haven’t got any
idea what they’re talking about? In situations like that I’d normally say
“Do you think I’m a psychic or what?” You can, however, use this
sophisticated word instead – clairvoyant – it describes pretty much the

same concept. “Do you think I’m a clairvoyant or what?”
NEW! Serendipity – personally I love this word – and you’d use it

to describe an event which is a result of a very, very big, almost
impossible coincidence that has a very happy ending. A typical
example would be two people meeting each other against all odds
and nding out that they were almost destined to meet.
NEW! Seismic shi – this English collocation will come in really

handy when describing a massive, fundamental change: “There’s been
a seismic shi in the government’s stance in relation to the water
charges – believe it or not, but they’ve been abolished which nobody
could see coming!”
NEW! Pivotal role – when you want to describe something or

someone playing a central role in the process, this is exactly the kind
of expression to use: “My master’s degree in IT played a pivotal role
in the recruitment process – without it I wouldn’t have been hired.”
NEW! Obnoxious behavior – this word is used to described something

extremely unpleasant – typically other people’s behavior or their
qualities. Here’s a good example: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand
Allison’s obnoxious behavior so I end up avoiding her company
altogether.”
NEW! Ludicrous – have you ever experienced a situation that is

absurd to the point of being funny? Imagine, for instance, being
pulled over by the cops, getting checked for alcohol in your breath
and actually being tested positive despite the fact you hadn’t been
drinking before… It would be ludicrous simply because it would be
very last thing you’d ever expect and if you’re a person endowed
with a sense of humor you’d be able to laugh about it and demand a
second opinion on the basis of the breathalyzer being wrong!
Exhilarating experience – super-exciting experience such as a

parachute jump, for example.
Ad nauseam – when some activity is repeated all over and over

again till you’re sick of it, you can use this phrase to describe how
you feel about it. For example – “I’ve tried to explain it to him ad
nauseam but he just doesn’t understand what I’m talking about…”
Atrocious crime – especially vicious and cruel crime resulting in a

number of victims.
Begging and cajoling – when you’re trying to convince someone to

change their mind and they nally give in, you can say that “A er
plenty of begging and cajoling I nally managed to convince my
mom to allow me to go to the trip to Utah.”
Detrimental e ect – a bad, negative e ect.
Eliminate from the equation – exclude something from a number

of factors to be considered in relation to the main issue. Example:
“When talking about day-to-day stress management, it’s important
to eliminate unnecessary distractions from the equation so that you
can be more focused on your tasks at hand.”
Endowed with the ability – When someone or something is endowed

with the ability, it simply means they possess (have) this particular
ability. “All human beings are endowed with the ability to love and take
care of others.”
Evoke emotions – when something makes us feel a certain way. For

example – “Hard rock evokes depressive emotions whereas upbeat,
cheerful music li s up our mood.”
Gain momentum – normally used in business English to describe

economical processes that require some time to reach their full
potential. A good example would be a start-up business that demands a

lot of investment and e ort to establish, but when it’s gained
momentum, it practically starts to run itself.
Heinous crime – especially gross and unhuman crime.
Unilateral decision – decision made by only one person or group of

people without taking others’ opinion into consideration. This phrase
was used a lot during the nancial crisis a few years ago in Ireland (it’s
where I live so that’s why I’m using the example of Ireland!) when the
government decided to guarantee bank losses without taking into
account the opinion of other political parties.
Hinder communication – to prevent communication. The word

“hinder” can be used pretty much as a substitute to the word
“prevent” in any context!
Conditions that exacerbate… – this phrase is most commonly used in

medical context when speaking about diseases that may get worse
because of certain factors. Here’s a good example – “Are you aware
that you work in conditions that may exacerbate your asthma? You
should change your job immediately!”
Illicit a airs – “illicit” simply means “illegal” – so when you hear the
word “illicit” used in combination with words such as “a airs”, it
means that some criminal, unlawful activities are being discussed.
Oblivious to – totally unaware of something. When a person is going

through a really intense emotional su ering, they may become
oblivious to their surroundings and people around them at times. Also,
when you’re simply deep in your thoughts, you may become
temporarily oblivious to what’s going on around you.
Ambiguous situation – a situation that can be interpreted in two

ways; it’s when there’s no clear-cut answer to a particular problem.
In sports, for example, judges’ decisions are sometimes disputed but
it’s all because the situation during a game is so ambiguous that it’s
almost impossible to ascertain ( nd out) the truth. Also, when
someone sends you an e-mail, for example, and you can interpret
their instructions in many ways, you can say that the instructions
are ambiguous and you can’t really take action in case you get it
wrong.
Eloquent – uent, someone who has a way with words. If you can
speak uent English and you’re really good at it, you can say you’re an
eloquent English speaker. Just bear in mind – you have to be REALLY
good at it to be considered eloquent – not every native English speaker
is eloquent, for that matter.
Media-perpetuated – when certain subject is being constantly

mentioned in media – Internet, newspapers, radio and TV – it’s said
that it’s “media-perpetuated”. Let’s say, for example, the current
obsession with dieting and slimming has led to an increasing
number of eating disorders among teenagers, and it’s strongly
believed it’s a direct result of the media-perpetuated images of
skinny models and celebrities.
Transcends boundaries – surpasses, goes beyond certain limits. Love

and compassion transcends any racial and religious boundaries –
meaning that the concepts of love and compassion don’t choose
people based on their origin and religious beliefs.
He’s adamant that… – he insists that… You can use this sophisticated
English word when describing a 100% certainty of someone or
yourself. “He’s adamant that the goods were sent out to the
customer.”
Unsolicited advice – advice that hasn’t been asked for. If someone is

telling you what to do without you having asked them for advice, you
can say it’s unsolicited advice.
Amalgamate the data – you can use this expression when you’re
putting some gures together. For example, when you’re doing a
stock take of inventory and then all those gures have to be
combined, you can say that you’re going to amalgamate the data so
you won’t be able to attend to other work-related duties. Personally I
love this English sophisticated word because it originates from the
noun “amalgam” which means “an alloy of mercury with another
metal” and I think it’s got a unique vibe to it!
Irrevocably linked – you can say that something’s irrevocably linked

when it can’t be undone, when it can’t be taken apart. This English
sophisticated collocation is best used in gurative speech – for
example: “The tobacco trade and government tax income are
irrevocably linked and I simply don’t believe the State wants us to quit
smoking for good.”
Subliminal aversion to – subconscious (you’re not even aware of it)

disgust towards something.
Excruciating pain – very intense, strong pain.
Perseverance is the key to success – “perseverance” describes the

quality of someone who’s being very persistent and hard-working.
Good luck with your future endeavors – good luck with your future
attempts to achieve something, to achieve goals etc.
Paramount – very, very important, top-priority, of the utmost

importance. “It’s paramount that you log out of the system rst
before shutting the PC down or else all the data will be lost!”
Don’t exert yourself too much – don’t put too much pressure on
yourself, don’t work too hard. You can say this kind of thing to a friend
of yours who’s just been sick and has just returned back to work, for
example.
Reciprocal – something that goes both ways; mutual. If someone

tells you “It was nice meeting you!”, you can say – “Reciprocal!” –
which means the experience of you meeting them was also pleasant.
Of course, it’s going to sound very smart, but it’s going to be correct
nonetheless. Another use of this word – “reciprocal links” – it’s used
among website owners and bloggers to describe links pointing to
each other’s websites.
Fluctuations – this economy related English word describes a process

that changes over time – especially price changes. Here’s an example:
“Forex traders make money by trading on currency price uctuations”.
It can be also used in other contexts; I, for example, like to describe the
changing English uency (one day you can speak uently, the next day
it’s gone down followed by another day of good uency) with this
word – “English uency uctuations“.
Adjacent street – if you describe a street using the word “adjacent”,

it simply means that the street in question meets another street you
were talking about previously; basically when two streets meet at an
angle, they’re called “adjacent streets”. A simpler way to explain the
same thing would be by saying that the two streets meet – but you
can use this fancy word just as well.
Common denominator – strictly speaking, this is a maths term and

it’s used when operating with fractions. In everyday English speech
though, this fancy expression containing the word “denominator” can
be used when referring to common traits in people and common
characteristics in pretty much anything. Here’s an example: “All rich
and powerful people share the same common denominator – they
know exactly what they want in life and they aren’t afraid of taking
risks.”
Dispel a stereotype – sounds really smart, doesn’t it? Here’s how the
same expression would sound using simpler English words – “bust a
myth”. Now you start getting the idea, don’t you? Basically dispelling
a stereotype means to prove that a certain belief is wrong, for
example – the typical stereotype of blonde women being stupid, or
foreign English speakers being bad at understanding English just

because their speech isn’t uent.
Elaborate on something – this sophisticated English word can be used

to describe the process of providing more details on something. Let’s
say, for argument’s sake, you’re sitting in a class and your teacher
wants you to explain a particular concept. Here’s what he’d say:
“Alright, but now could you elaborate on it, please?” Just please bear in
mind that the word “elaborate” can be pronounced in two di erent
ways – depending on whether it’s an adjective or a verb. In this case it’s
a verb, so its pronunciation is as follows: [ɪˈlæbərəit] – pay a particular
attention to the last syllable which is pronounced as in the word “ATE”.
Gravitate towards – does this word have anything to do with Earth’s

gravitation? Well, yes and no! No, because it’s not about physics, and
yes, because it does in fact entail a movement in a certain direction
due to a certain level of attraction by something. Basically you can
use it when talking about your future plans and explaining what you
are most likely to do – in other words, what attracts you, what you
are gravitating towards. And here comes an example: “Well, even
though I graduated as an engineer, I’m gravitating towards more
academic approach – something like a university lecturer.”
Predict all eventualities – “eventuality” is just a fancy word for

“possibility”, so to predict all eventualities means to predict all
possibilities, all possible outcomes of a certain event. Most likely you’d
be using this expression to say that it’s not really possible to predict all
eventualities and you’ll always end up with taking a certain amount of
risk no matter what you do.
***
Now, this list is by no means an exhaustive list of all sophisticated

English vocabulary that you may ever need.
It’s a good place to start, however, and you can rest assured that all
these words are actually used in media and also in conversations by
real English speaking people unlike some other obscure words that
99.9% of English speaking people have NEVER heard.
So basically this list has been created based upon my own years’ long
experience communicating with English speaking people at work and
various institutions as well as consuming plenty of written English
material.
Robby
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement?

Check out my English Harmony System HERE!
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement?

Check out the English Harmony System HERE!
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Kusuma • 3 months ago
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Path0 • 3 months ago

May I suggest adding immaculate, it means perfect or
without flaw. I use it in America often and in my opinion
sounds sophisticated.
Veosonoph. • 8 months ago

I respect your effort, although I request for definitions for the
new words please. Thank you for the list!
English Harmony Mod > Veosonoph. • 8 months ago

English Harmony od > Veosonoph. 8 months ago
Thank you for your appreciation.

Have you checked also the resources available on
English Harmony System as well ?
Veosonoph. > English Harmony

• 7 months ago
My bad, I wasn't able to view it since the last
2 weeks. Rest assured though, that I will
consider it in my reading. THANKS SO
MUCH!
rob • a year ago

very good but not wholely correct
Illicit would be more immoral rather than illegal - an illicit
affair would be something you shouldn't really do - like have
an affair, not necessarily illegal but immoral
adjacent literally translates as next to so would refer to
roads running parallel to each other not crossing or to a
road running past a park. - the adjacent roads were either
side of the park - the road were adjacent to the park.
Melodyá > rob • 3 months ago

No. Adjacent would not be at all applicable to parallel
whatsoever. Adjacent means to be connected at
some point. His explanation is accurate.
Praymore Kugara • a year ago

Wow
Srinivas Ganugula • a year ago

how can I get this vocabulary list
36 △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Jeff • 2 years ago

On further examination I knew all of these words.
Jeff • 2 years ago

This is a fairly simple list. Knew all but one or two.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Omkaar Kamath > Jeff • 7 months ago

Noone gives a damn, for natives like us its not
surprising
dayalan • 2 years ago

These word are very helpful to my IELTS test. Thanks a lot.
Rida Fatima Riaz • 2 years ago

These are really helpful thankyou
English Harmony Mod > Rida Fatima Riaz

• 2 years ago
You are welcome! Happy to hear that!
Aneeza Munir • 2 years ago

That's gonna be real helpful for my igcse exams
English Harmony Mod > Aneeza Munir • 2 years ago
Happy to hear that! Good luck for the exams!

Umaru • 2 years ago

Thankiew for these remarkable bombastic vocabulary!
Omkaar Kamath > Umaru • 7 months ago

It is actually thank you, I guess you have to learn
spellings too
Robby Kukurs Mod > Umaru • 2 years ago

You're welcome, I'm glad you like it! ;-)
Diana • 2 years ago

Thanks for the great list, I think it's going to help me a lot
with my English classtest tomorrow!
R bb K k
https://englishharmony.com/sophisticated-vocabulary/
> 13/17
Robby Kukurs Mod > Diana • 2 years ago
Thanks Diana for the feedback, much appreciated!
Abhinav Singh Verma • 2 years ago

Keep adding more words.. we are counting on you ☺
Robby Kukurs Mod > Abhinav Singh Verma

• 2 years ago
I will, you can count on me alright! ;-)
Scott Mantooth • 2 years ago

would you find it odd that i use the words you've listed here
on a pretty consistent basis especially whilst writing...have
loved learning new words since learning to read and
constantly use a thesaurus to prevent repeating the same
descriptive terminology...
Robby Kukurs Mod > Scott Mantooth • 2 years ago
No Scott, I don't find it odd at all! It's all about how

YOU use the vocabulary that you've acquired. If you
use such and similar words on a regular basis - fair
play to you! ;-)
Abhinav Singh Verma • 2 years ago

Wow.. i have been thirsty for such compilation since years..
can you please guide me to some of more such
words..please
Robby Kukurs Mod > Abhinav Singh Verma

• 2 years ago
I'm planning to update this article with new additions
at some stage in the near future so stick around and
you'll find a good few new sophisticated words
added onto the list!
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Drax sharma • 2 years ago

Hlo ....I am good at speaking or not?how can I analyse this
thing.And how can I speak faster as I heard that those who
speak a little faster never encounter with being tongue tied
Robby Kukurs Mod > Drax sharma • 2 years ago

As a matter of fact, a lot of us are trying to speak
way too fast, and as a result we mess up our
speech. Please read this article
http://englishharmony.com/w... where I'm talking
about this phenomenon.
Rajpal Rawal • 2 years ago

Thanks for adding these powerful and situation oriented
words to my vocabulary, of course, the elucidation is
perfect.
Robby Kukurs Mod > Rajpal Rawal • 2 years ago
No problem Rajpal, you're welcome! ;-)

Anish • 2 years ago

Thanks it a good blog
Robby Kukurs Mod > Anish • 2 years ago
Thanks so much! ;-)

sowjanya • 2 years ago

finally i m on a useful blog!thanks for ur valuable information
Robby Kukurs Mod > sowjanya • 2 years ago
No problem my friend, you're welcome! ;-)

rocco • 3 years ago

Fuck off buddy
d > rocco • 3 years ago

Robby.. your photo is creepy.
Praveen Hitnalli • 3 years ago

@Robby: Finally I found a good site to leverage my skills on

english proficiency. Really this a great site to learn english
easily. Thank you for your posts and keep updating new
things.
Robby Kukurs Mod > Praveen Hitnalli • 3 years ago

Thanks so much Praveen, I'm glad you like this blog
and I hope you'll stick around for more videos and
articles to come in the near future! ;-)
pratik biswas > Robby Kukurs • 2 years ago

I appreciate you Budd for the example which
you have used to make more easier to use
the better word in some conversation
Thnx 👏
anglobook • 3 years ago

Nice list. Useful and language enriching.
Robby Kukurs Mod > anglobook • 3 years ago

Thanks so much, I'm glad you like this list!
Djihane • 3 years ago

that's amazing Robby..thank you :D
45 △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Robby Kukurs Mod > Djihane • 3 years ago
Thanks for the positive feedback, I really appreciate

it!
Jinal Hirani • 3 years ago

thanks Robby for this post. it's very helpful. Hope to see
some new convincing words. Thanks again
Robby Kukurs Mod > Jinal Hirani • 3 years ago
You're welcome, I'm glad you like this post! Sure

enough - I'll keep adding on new words in the future!
R l Sh
A. • 3 years ago
This was a very helpful article! Thank you for posting it. Now
when I speak no one will know what I am saying; but at
least I do!
Robby Kukurs Mod > A. • 3 years ago

You're welcome my friend!
Nadir Bensaker • 3 years ago

Thank you Robby.

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3/27/2019 Useful Sophisticated English Words & Phrases

Useful Sophisticated English Words &

If you are new here please read this rst.

When I arrived in Ireland 15 years ago, I went onto a mission of

As a result, I acquired hundreds upon hundreds long English

I like to call such English vocabulary “sophisticated”, and I’ve also

Don’t Learn Some Obscure English Words that Even Native

Sometimes, however, knowing how to use certain sophisticated

Needless to say, it’s strongly advised you acquire this sophisticated

NEW! Clairvoyant – you know the way sometimes people would

sophisticated word instead – clairvoyant – it describes pretty much the

NEW! Serendipity – personally I love this word – and you’d use it

NEW! Seismic shi – this English collocation will come in really

NEW! Pivotal role – when you want to describe something or

NEW! Obnoxious behavior – this word is used to described something

NEW! Ludicrous – have you ever experienced a situation that is

Exhilarating experience – super-exciting experience such as a

Ad nauseam – when some activity is repeated all over and over

Atrocious crime – especially vicious and cruel crime resulting in a

Begging and cajoling – when you’re trying to convince someone to

Detrimental e ect – a bad, negative e ect.

Eliminate from the equation – exclude something from a number

Endowed with the ability – When someone or something is endowed

Evoke emotions – when something makes us feel a certain way. For

Gain momentum – normally used in business English to describe

potential. A good example would be a start-up business that demands a

Heinous crime – especially gross and unhuman crime.

Unilateral decision – decision made by only one person or group of

Hinder communication – to prevent communication. The word

Conditions that exacerbate… – this phrase is most commonly used in

Oblivious to – totally unaware of something. When a person is going

Ambiguous situation – a situation that can be interpreted in two

Media-perpetuated – when certain subject is being constantly

Transcends boundaries – surpasses, goes beyond certain limits. Love

Unsolicited advice – advice that hasn’t been asked for. If someone is

Irrevocably linked – you can say that something’s irrevocably linked

Subliminal aversion to – subconscious (you’re not even aware of it)

Excruciating pain – very intense, strong pain.

Perseverance is the key to success – “perseverance” describes the

Paramount – very, very important, top-priority, of the utmost

Reciprocal – something that goes both ways; mutual. If someone

Fluctuations – this economy related English word describes a process

Adjacent street – if you describe a street using the word “adjacent”,

Common denominator – strictly speaking, this is a maths term and

foreign English speakers being bad at understanding English just

Elaborate on something – this sophisticated English word can be used

Gravitate towards – does this word have anything to do with Earth’s

Predict all eventualities – “eventuality” is just a fancy word for

Now, this list is by no means an exhaustive list of all sophisticated

P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement?

P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement?

 Recommend 20 t Tweet f Share Sort by Newest

Join the discussion…

Kusuma • 3 months ago

Path0 • 3 months ago

Veosonoph. • 8 months ago

English Harmony Mod > Veosonoph. • 8 months ago

Thank you for your appreciation.

Veosonoph. > English Harmony

rob • a year ago

Melodyá > rob • 3 months ago

Praymore Kugara • a year ago